


Pretty man running down the street

by MarvellousFics12



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AU, Action (I guess), Alternate Universe, Attempt at Humor, Bucky's POV, Caring Steve, Chases, Flirting, Fluff, Hydra brings trouble, I'll update tags as I go along, It is not, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Prostitution, Protective Steve Rogers, SHIELD, Sarcasm, Slow Burn, Some of these tags make it seem dark, Swearing, TW: scene w/ attempted rape/non-con, Violence, and a badass, steve's a sweetheart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-11-15
Packaged: 2019-03-16 07:44:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 20,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13631808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarvellousFics12/pseuds/MarvellousFics12
Summary: Bucky has a sucky life. He works two jobs, hardly makes enough money to pay his bills and one of his bosses is a giant dick. Then Bucky runs into someone, literally, and from then on, life changes. In every way.To sum some of it up; an ass-kicking, a new friend, a new job and a new, very complicated problem.





	1. The difference a dollar can make

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again, people!  
> First, the title is stolen from the song Pretty Women (also the movie), because that's kinda what gave me the idea of Bucky being a prostitute.  
> Second, I've already got a few chapters written so stay tuned to find out where this story's going. Who knows, I might surprise you..  
> And last, I'm trying to update at least once, probably twice a week. Hope you like it!
> 
> TW; this chapter includes a scene in which there is an attempt to rape. This does not happen, however.

I was late. Again. My boss was gonna kill me, I knew it. So I was running through the busy looking streets when I ran into someone. Fuck.  
“Oefh.” The blonde huffed as he got shoved to the ground by the impact of my body.  
“Hey, watch where you’re going!” He exclaimed as he got up.  
“Sorry! I’m late!” I said as I started running again.  
I was gonna be in so much trouble.

I stormed into the apartment, seeing Natasha was already there, as were Scarlet and Samantha.  
Nat furrowed her brow, she knew this wasn’t gonna end well for me. As did I.  
“James. You’re late, again!” The man roared, “You know that I can find a whore somewhere else. I don’t need you here.” Pierce yelled at me as I just stood there, looking stupid and feeling small.  
“I know.” I squeaked, “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”  
“No it won’t. You’re fired.” Pierce said with a hint of a grin on his face.  
“What? No, please.. I need this job.” I stammered, “Please, I won’t ever be late again.” I begged him as he slowly turned around to face me, still smiling.  
“Why would I keep you? The girls make more money anyway.” He said. The smug bastard really liked his employers begging.  
“Please. I’ll make more tonight, I promise.” I said, knowing that was a mission impossible and a stupid thing to say, but what’s a man to do. Like I said, I really need this job..  
“Really? Well, if you make more than 1.500 dollars, you can stay. I want everything tomorrow evening. Know that I will fire you if you don’t make it.” He threatened.  
~

As the four of us were walking out of the apartment I let a groan escape. God, I was so fucked.  
“Why would you do that to yourself, you idiot.” Natasha said, “Why were you even late?”  
“Uhhg,” I groaned, “Because I was still working. They wouldn’t fucking let me go, so I had to run. Then I ran into a stranger, who was way too big and probably didn’t even move from me hitting him full on, and I ran off without even really apologising, so now I’m a dick and totally fucked. I’m gonna lose this job and lose my apartment.” I moaned.  
“You can make it, I’m sure. We’ll try to help!” Scarlet offered.  
“Thanks, but I’ll never make that. Who makes that much in one day?” I groaned.  
“Well, you’re gonna have to, so stop pouting and start attracting customers. You look like shit when you’re down.” Samantha said.  
“Thanks.” I grumbled, straightening up a bit, ‘cause I knew she was right.  
“She’s right. Stand still, just-, better.” Natasha said as she pulled on my clothes and fixed my hair.  
“I still don’t understand why you won’t cut it.” She said as she pointed at my hair, “It’d attract more customers if you did.” Scarlet finished.  
“I like this length. Now, good night to you girls, I’ll find my own way I guess. No way I’m letting you distract my customers.” I said with a smirk as I turned away.  
“Be safe out there, okay? Don’t do stupid stuff because you need the money. Be safe!” Natasha warned.  
“You too.” I said before I started walking away, towards the bars and clubs, where I knew the most horny, drunk and desperate people were who would hook up with about anything that moved.

After hitting a few bars I’d made about 500 dollars. Just from the easy stuff, blow jobs, hand jobs, even just making out. Like I said, desperate. It wasn’t even close to enough yet, but I still had a few hours to go.  
I quickly found a new guy in a bar. Most of my customers were guys. Women around here didn’t really do prostitutes much, so guys it was. I didn’t really mind anyway. Now, I had this guy who wanted to get back to the hotel he was staying in, so I told him that was fine with me. The guy wasn’t ugly. Black short hair, muscled, said his name was Brock. All fine, nothing sketchy.  
We took a cab towards his hotel, which was a short ride, but faster than walking. When we arrived we got out and started walking towards the hotel, but before we even made it to the door he pulled my hand and pushed me against a wall.  
“Hey-, wait.” I said, adrenaline rushing into me because this job wasn’t safe. At all. Time had proven that to me.  
He held me pinned against the wall in an alley while he started kissing me down my neck, still holding my arms in place.  
“Stop! This wasn’t the deal!” I said, voice unsteady with stress and fear.  
“New deal. I just take you here.” He growled, pushing me to the ground.  
At that moment my whole body was vibrating. I tried to hit him in attempt to escape after, but he just grabbed my wrists tighter and shoved me back down with more force. I felt a dull pain in the back of my head from where it had hit the wall.  
Fighting wasn’t an option now. The man was almost twice as big and definitely had the upper-hand here.  
“Help!” I yelled, “He-“ I quickly felt a hand close over my mouth, muffling my voice. He was already undoing my belt, pulling my pants down and I closed my eyes, knowing what was about to happen and dreading it to come, when suddenly his weight disappeared from my body.  
I looked up, confused at what had just happened when I saw him. A tall, blond, really muscular guy standing with his back to me. Protecting me.  
“You think that’s fair? You punk!” He said as he kicked Brock in the ribs. Brock scrambled up, trying to deflect any other coming punches or kicks.  
“Pick on someone your own size.” The blond said before he kicked him in the ass and Brock left running out of the alley.  
I was blinking at what just happened, because, what the hell just happened?  
The blond turned around and stuck out his hand to help me up, which I hesitantly grabbed.  
I pulled my clothes back on with shaking hands and legs and looked at the mystery man with big eyes. He must’ve noticed I was still a little panic-y.  
“Hi, are you okay? Can I call someone for you or-? I’m Steve, by the way.” The blond said in a soft voice.  
I hesitantly replied, “Eh.. no, please don’t.. And I'm-, I'm Bucky.”  
That’s the moment when I remembered I still had to make a 1.000 dollars more, with only a few hours left and it’d be morning. No one wanted to fuck a prostitute in the morning. Shit.  
“Well, Bucky, maybe it’s best if you’d come with me. Just to check if you’re okay. I’m in the hotel around the corner. Can you walk?” He asked, looking incredibly innocent and sweet.  
“Yeah, I think so.” I mumbled as my hand went to the back of my head, which felt a bit wet and warm. My fingers returned red.  
“Oh shit.” I muttered as I stared at my fingers.  
Just as I muttered that, Steve looked at me, then down at my fingers, then up at my face again. “You’re hurt. Where?” He asked, looking concerned.  
I slowly brought my hand back up to my head and felt my hair was drenched with blood.  
“Your head? That’s not good.. You think you might have a concussion? Let’s get you inside quickly.” He said as he started walking again, softly pulling on my arm, supporting me in doing so.


	2. Careful

“Are you dizzy? Had anything to eat or drink?” Steve asked, walking out of the kitchen with a glass of water.  
“No. And no. I’m fine, Steve. Really. Just a little, ehhm, shocked.” I replied.  
“Why haven’t you eaten? You should. Here.” He said as he placed an apple in front of me.  
“I’m sorry I kinda ran you over tonight..” I whispered. I had actually recognised the man in front of me from before. The posture. The soft but demanding voice. It was the man I ran into, literally, when I was late for Pierce.  
“What?” Steve didn’t seem to understand right away, but after a few seconds it seemed to dawn on him, “That was you? Well, that’s okay, I’m fine.” Steve said with a small smile on his lips.  
“I am sorry though..” I muttered as Steve sat down beside me on the couch.  
“It’s fine. You were late, right? We all have that sometimes.”  
I smiled to myself, a bitter smile, thinking about how me being late got me into this mess in the first place.  
“Yeah, kinda what got me into this mess right now.” I huffed, taking a bite of the apple.  
“Care to explain?” Steve asked as he quirked an eyebrow.  
“Well, it doesn’t matter now anyway..” I muttered, more to myself than to Steve. So I just started talking, “So, I was working my first job and they were running late, which meant I was running late. I was late for my second job, which I’m supposed to be doing right now. Then my boss, Pierce, fired me, but I begged him to let me stay because I need that job. Now we made a deal, in which I have to make 1.500 dollars tonight, and I have 500. But I’ll never make enough, so now I have a hole in the back of my head, almost been raped, and I'm talking to a stranger whom I have run over this same evening. How’s your day going?” I asked bitterly.  
Steve looked a little shocked, but quickly recovered, “1.500 you said? That’s fine, stay with me tonight so I’ll know you’re safe. That okay with you?” He said.  
“What?” I muttered weakly, not expecting him to say anything along the lines of that. Did this guy want to have sex? After all of this shit? Wasn’t really a turn on, but oh well, fine with me. Money’s money.  
I moved forward and put a hand on his knee, “How do you like it?” I asked, my flirty voice back on.  
“No, Bucky.” He said with a frown on his face, “Sit down. I meant, you should stay here, just so I know you’re okay.”  
I raised my eyebrow. Was this guy kidding me? Not one guy has been willing to pay without getting anything. And why would they? They pay me just so I would do things.  
My first instinct was to talk back, ask him if he was stupid. But hey, getting money, having no sex tonight and sleeping in a nice hotel? Fine by me.  
“Well, alright, if that’s what you want.. Should I-, like, do anything?” I hesitantly asked.  
“No it’s fine. You need to eat first and then you should take a shower. I think I’ll have to wake you every 3 to 4 hours, just to check if you don’t have a concussion or anything.” Steve informed me.  
“You shouldn’t. I’ll just put on my alarm. You shouldn’t be awake for me. You’ve done enough.” I said, because this guy was being way too nice and I don’t know what to do with that.  
“I insist. Now eat and shower. I’ll set up the couch, if that’s okay?”  
“Yeah, sure.” I said before I finished my apple and quietly grabbed another one. Maybe I was a little hungry after all.  
~

The shower was really nice and warm. I gently scrubbed the blood out of my hair and made sure not to open the wound again, which thankfully didn’t even need stitches. I got all of the sweat and dust and whatever else was there off me. I even smelled good for once. I got myself a towel, which was really nice and soft, and quickly dried my hair and body. I looked over at my incredibly dirty pile of clothes and figured maybe Steve had something I could borrow for the night. Even a shirt would do. I stepped out of the bathroom with the soft towel hung on my hips and walked over to his bedroom.  
“Hey, ehhm, Steve? Do you have a shirt I can sleep in? My clothes are kind of dirty.” I said, leaning against the doorframe.  
Steve looked up from his book and walked over to his suitcase. It was a small one, with an American flag on it. Wow, patriotic much.  
“Sure. A shirt, boxers, need socks?” Steve asked as he pulled out some clothes.  
“Eh, no socks, thanks.” I said while he handed me the shirt and boxers.  
I disappeared into the bathroom and stepped out in his shirt, which was just a little too big, and his boxers, which fit perfectly.  
I walked over to the couch, which was now set up with a blanket and a few pillows, all neatly displayed.  
“Thanks Steve. It means a lot.” I said as Steve emerged from the kitchen with something to drink for the both of us.  
“It’s nothing. Now let me look at that head of yours. Still feeling alright? Not dizzy or anything? Remember your own name?” Steve asked.  
“Yes, no and yes. I’m fine, and thanks.” I smiled as he gave me a cup of tea, apparently.  
Steve sat behind me and carefully pushed my hair out of the way, “It looks good. I’ll check up on it tonight when I’ll wake you. Better safe than sorry.” He smiled.  
“Yeah, that’s fine then.” I quietly said, sipping my tea.  
“So, Bucky, tell me something about yourself, unless you’re tired. You can go sleep if you want.”  
“Oh no, I’m not tired. And, well, what’s to tell?” I never really knew what to say when people asked me that, but I figured something about the basics of my life would do.. “I don’t have any siblings, both my parents are deceased, ehmm, I work in the bakery down the street, and at night for Hydra.. Not really proud of that, but a guy’s gotta make money, hmm?” I huffed. “And what about you?” I quickly asked, not wanting to talk about fucking Hydra anymore.  
“Oh. Well, no siblings either. Parents same as you, passed away a few years back. I, ehhm, I am now a veteran I guess.” He said as he rubbed his neck.  
“You were a soldier? That’s so cool. Can I ask why you quit?” I softly asked.  
“Hm. I can’t really say much about it. Let’s say the people I worked for weren’t who I thought they were.”  
“Oh.” I could only respond with. What the hell does that even mean? Spy stuff, explosions and big fights?  
“You should sleep, I’ll wake you up in a few. Good night, Bucky.” Steve said as he stood up and walked into his bedroom.  
Well, alright. Conversation over then.  
I crawled under my blanket and found the couch was perfect to sleep on, better than my own bed was, at least. I quickly fell asleep. A dreamless sleep, until someone woke me, which startled me, until I recognised the innocent and sweet face hovering above me.  
“How late is it?” I croaked.  
“4 in the morning. Come on, I need to check you.” He whispered.  
“Uhgg.” I groaned as I sat up.  
“Headache? Dizzy? Anything wrong?” He asked.  
“Headache.. That fucking bastard.” I grumbled.  
“Language.” Steve followed quickly, as if it was a reflex.  
Did that guy just say 'language'. Really? I quirked my eyebrow, suppressing a laugh, ‘cause that was just stupid.  
“Sorry. Old habits.” He apologised.  
I smiled at that. God this guy was so innocent.  
“Take these and get some more sleep. I’ll wake you at 7, you can get some more sleep after. Sleep tight.” He said before giving me two aspirins and a glass of water.  
“Night.” I said before he once again disappeared into his bedroom.

I quickly fell into a dreamless sleep again, until I heard some unknown noise and woke up. I quickly looked around the room but saw no intruders, so the noise must be coming from Steve’s room. Oh god, was he okay?  
I tiptoed my way into his room to see him trashing in his bed, all sweaty and wet from the tears streaming down his face.  
He must be having a nightmare.  
I kind of have no idea what to do so I decide waking him up would be best. But how do you get closer to a man that’s punching anything and everything?  
“Steve, come on. It’s okay, no one’s there. It’s Bucky. Wake up. Come on, pal.” I tried. Maybe a voice could calm him down.  
“Steve, come on, take it easy. Whatever you’re seeing, it isn’t there. Now please stop trashing around or you’ll break something. Probably me.” I huffed more to myself than to him.  
He wasn’t waking up yet, but he did seem to be calming down.  
“Alright, that’s it. Just listen to my voice and calm down.” I continued as I stepped closer. At that moment he kinda grabbed me and pulled me onto the bed. His arms around me, clinging to me as if his life depended on it.  
“Steve. Come on, let me go.” I tried as I tried to pry his arms off of me, but Steve just squeezed harder, still not letting go. His screams and sobs had died down and he wasn’t fighting off an unseen monster, so that was a good thing at least. His breath was evening out and his heartbeat slowing. How did I know that? Because I was currently pressed/ pulled into his chest. Still not the slightest chance of letting me go.  
“Alright, I’ll stay, but only because you are the most decent guy I’ve ever met.” I huffed, knowing he wouldn’t hear me anyway.  
So that’s how I fell asleep, his steady heartbeat in my ear, his arms around me. And I must admit, I’ve never felt that safe. Not in my shitty apartment where the door can’t even be locked properly. Not anywhere. So it wasn’t all that bad.


	3. Good morning, America

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter for you lovely folks!  
> I really hope you like it. If you do, please leave kuddos and comments because they kinda make me happy :)  
> Also all mistakes in this whole story are mine, if you find one, please let me know!  
> Thank you guys for reading.

I woke up that morning around 7 from some stupid alarm that started ringing too loudly for my liking. The ringing meant Steve was gonna wake up too. And I realise that he probably doesn’t know why I’m in his bed, having slept on his chest.  
I quickly tried to get that stupid alarm off but it was on his phone which was on the bedside table which I wasn’t able to reach. And then it was too late.  
Steve opened his eyes and looked down at me, looking very confused and quickly letting me go.  
“What the-“ He started, “Why are you in my bed?”.  
“Good morning to you too.” I said, trying to make this a light conversation, “This wasn’t really my idea when you asked me to stay over, but neither was sleeping on the couch. It’s fine though.” I said smiling.  
“Doesn’t answer my question..” Steve said, squinting his eyes and tilting his head to the side.  
“You had a nightmare and were trashing around, so I tried to calm you down and wake you up. That didn’t work quite as I thought it would. Then I came closer and you pulled me into the bed and held me there. But I don’t mind, some clients like to cuddle, nothing new. It also seemed to help, it's okay.” I said shrugging.  
Now the poor guy just looked confused.  
“I really can’t remember. The nightmare, yes. You, no. But I’m really sorry. Hope you got some sleep..” He said, rubbing his neck and looking self-conscious. A little guilty even.  
“I did.” I said as I gave him a flirty smile.  
“Good, ehhm, so how’s your head?” He asked, blushing a little. He looked cute in the morning, but then again he did in the evenings too.  
As I stood up I stretched, raising my arms above my head and yawning before I told him, again, that my head was fine. As I turned around I actually caught the guy checking me out. Hmm..  
“I’m starving, how about breakfast? You like eggs?” Steve asked me while he put on some clothes. A shame, really.  
“Yeah sure.” I said, smiling at him.  
We both walked into the living room where I started tidying up the couch, where I hadn’t really slept, as Steve walked into the kitchen to start on the eggs.  
After I was done with the couch I sat down at the bar, having a clear few of Steve, which had its perks, really.  
He glanced sideways and must’ve noticed me staring because he actually snickered, “Staring is impolite.”.  
“Sorry.” I apologised while smirking, not really meaning it and continuing to stare.  
“Alright, breakfast is served.” He said as he turned around and served me a plate of eggs with some herbs and stuff I don’t know the name of. But damn, it smelled so good.  
It tasted even better.  
“I wouldn’t have guessed you to be a cooking type.” I said with my mouth full of food.  
“Well, I just enjoy cooking. Learned to make do with what I have, even with food. Glad you like it.” Steve said.  
After breakfast I checked the time, which was now around 12, meaning I had to go home, clean up, shower maybe and then make my way back to Pierce to show that dick I can actually make money. Not the way I thought I would, but it’s fine anyway.  
“I’m sorry Steve, but I kind of have to go.. I have to get back to Pierce, show him I made the money.” I sighed.  
The blond frowned, displeased by the fact I had to go, I guess, “Oh, too bad. Well, I hope you’ll be fine. And if you need anything, anything goes wrong, here’s my number.” Steve said as he pulled a card and actually, literally a 1.000 dollars from his wallet , “Be safe, please?”  
After getting over the shock that Steve has a 1.000 dollars in his pocket as if it’s nothing, I grinned, “Thanks Steve. You’re a lifesaver. I’ll see ya around, and thanks again." I said, leaving the building to head back to my apartment. 

~  
“You got it?” Natasha whispered as I walked in. I nodded.  
“Ah James, what have you got for me?” Pierce asked with that ugly grin on his face again.  
“1.500 dollars. Just like you asked.” I answered, secretly a little proud of getting that much money in one night. Even if the way I made it was a little.. unorthodox.  
“Good job, I didn’t think you could pull that off.” He said.  
“So, does that mean I can keep my job?” I asked. He promised me I could stay if I made 1.500, so why wouldn’t I be allowed to stay?  
“No.” He said, his smile not gone.  
That, I didn’t really understand, “Wha- what?” I stammered. What was he talking about? I did what he asked! “I did what you asked of me.”  
“James, can you not count? Poor boy. I told you to make more than 1.500 dollars. This,” He said, waving the money in my face, “is 1.500, which is not more than 1.500, so you failed, meaning you’re fired.”  
“What?” I asked again, anger seeping into my body.  
“You heard me. This is your final pay, now leave.” Pierce said, holding a few bills out in front of me.  
“You-, you bastard.” I said as heat started boiling inside of me. This prick! God how I wanted to punch him in his face, “Do you know I almost got raped yesterday! All because of your idiot policy’s and rules! And that dude bashed in my head, I was gushing blood” I yelled, clenching my fists.  
“That is not my fault.” He said calmly, his expression cold. He didn’t even care in the slightest. “You should leave.”  
“Motherfucker.” I hissed. God I was angry. He knew how much I needed this job, and now I lost it.  
“Escort mister Barnes out, please.” Pierce told his guards as kept looking me in my face, that devilish satisfied grin back on his face.  
Both men, way taller, more muscled and thus stronger than me, grabbed my arms and sort of pulled me out of there. Great. 

I was still so angry I figured I’d go to the gym. Maybe punch a bag through a wall. Maybe even punch through a wall. I got to the gym quite fast, stormed into the locker-room where thankfully my clothes already were. And so I walked into the gym, still looking as if I could kill a man. I most definitely could.  
I saw the punching bags were unoccupied so I walked over and started working out.  
A small jab, uppercut, right in the kidneys, Pierce’s nose broken, his arm too, jaw dislocated by now, punch in the stomach, to the side, head.  
I grunted hard, huffing as I punched harder and harder until my knuckles were bleeding, but I didn’t care, I just wanted to punch my way through this disaster.  
“Hey man, stop. You’re hurting yourself.” A voice said from behind me. Well, I wanted to punch that person too.  
I just ignored him, thinking about breaking some ribs, his leg, a few fingers. I just needed to keep hitting so I wouldn’t have to think about how I’d survive without enough money.  
“Stop, you’re bleeding. Stop punching!” The guy now practically yelled. God, I was gonna punch this guy in the face. He should just back off.  
“Leave,” punch to Pierce’s ribs, “me,” knee to the crotch, nice, “alone!” and just as I was gonna punch again, two strong hands pulled me back.  
I was so incredibly angry my vision actually kinda blacked out so I couldn’t really see who was holding me. I only saw two hands on my wrists, holding me so tight my skin turned white.  
“Let me go.” I hissed, really wanting to punch this dude now. This was none of his business.  
“Buck, stop.” The voice said, suddenly much calmer and softer.  
He knew my name? How? But the voice sounded familiar, and the anger slowly faded, my vision coming back.  
Behind me was Steve, slowly releasing his iron grip on my wrists as I started to cool down.  
“Why are you here?” I asked, a little suspicious.  
“I was just working out when I wanted to go over to the punching bags, where some guy was losing it, which is you, by the way.”  
“Well, I just want to work out, so leave me be, please.” I snarled. It came out a bit rougher than I meant but I was still a bit more than pissed off, so let's blame me being rude on emotions for now.  
“No Buck. You need to sit down.” Steve insisted.  
“No. Just-. Uhhg! Fine.” I grunted, sitting down.  
“Let me look at that.” Steve said, pointing at my hands, which didn’t look so good.  
“It’s fine.” I bit out. I flexed my hands and looked at them closely. Yep, I hit that bag so good, Pierce would’ve been dead by now.  
“It’s not. Sit still. I’ll be right back.” He instructed.  
After a few minutes Steve had returned with a medical care kit. He sat down next to me and took out some bandages and disinfectant. He carefully took my hand in his and started cleaning it. Apparently he knew what he was doing, seeing as to how he went to work.  
10 minutes later and my hands were cleaned, wrapped up and cared for.  
“Thanks..” I said softly, staring at the floor.  
“It's fine. Wanna talk about it?” He asked softly.  
I shook my head, “Not really.” Once I started talking about it I knew I was gonna end up getting mad again.  
“Okay. Wanna go somewhere? Have you eaten anything?” Steve asked.  
“Sure, and no, I haven’t really.” I just responded.  
“You should. Come on, let’s go.” Steve said before he pulled me up.


	4. Date set

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have this problem, that whenever I prewrite chapters I immediately wanna update them all, which isn't really a problem for you guys but I also don't wanna make you wait for a new chapter that I'll probably write weeks later. But, because I've got a weekend off and my hands are itching to update something, here's chapter 4.  
> Enjoy!

“You don’t have to do this, you know. I can get by on my own.” I said as we were eating a sub in the park.  
Steve tilted his eyebrow, “You sure?”  
I shot him an angry glare at that. Yes, I was damn sure. I wasn’t some charity case.  
“I’m just teasing. I know you can, but the thing is, you don’t have to. There are always people who can help. Who want to.”  
I knew Steve was right. But I kind of didn’t want to think about all that now, so I just let my feet and Steve take me where ever we were going. It ended up to be his hotel room again.  
“Shouldn’t you be at work?” Steve asked after a while, probably already knowing I was fired.  
“No, that dick called Pierce fired me, because I was a dollar short.” I said, feeling the anger boil up again.  
“What a prick.” Steve huffed, “So what now?” He asked.  
“Yeah. And I don’t know. I probably won’t be able to pay next month’s rent unless I find a new job, preferably a more legal and less shitty one.”  
“Well, what kind of job would you be looking for? Any special skills?” Steve asked.  
“Ehm, I know a few languages, so a translator could be something..” I considered it, but I don’t think I would like it.  
“How about something in economics?” Steve proposed.  
“Nah, not that smart.”  
“A secretary?”  
“Nah, I keep forgetting appointments. My memory’s terrible sometimes.” I huffed. “But I’ve always been interested in mechanics, I’m just not really good at it. Maybe something else.”  
“Well, a friend of mine is a mechanic, quite a good one at that. Maybe you could go meet with him just to see how things would go?” Steve proposed, smiling.  
My face lit up, “That’d be amazing! Thanks! Just tell me when and where and I’ll be there.” I said, now smiling too.  
~

“Good morning, Tony. I didn’t wake you, did I?” Steve asked after he heard some rumbling on the other end of the line after Tony picked up.  
“What-, no, no. What’s up, Cap?” Tony asked.  
“I’ve got a pal of mine who needs a job. He likes mechanics and I know only one mechanic that is awesome, so..” Steve ended lamely.  
“So? He was on a vacation so you decided to call me?” Tony joked.  
“Ha-ha. Very funny. But I’m serious. He’s nice, honest, works hard and has the muscles and the brains for it if you ask me. So?”  
“Fine, fine.” Tony laughed, “I’ll meet him Tuesday at the Tower, say 4 p.m.?”  
“Yeah, great. Thanks a lot, Tony! See ya.” Steve greeted before ending the call and selecting Bucky’s number and dialling.  
“Yes, Steve? What’s up?” I asked.  
“Hey Buck. You got an hour to spare Tuesday at 4 p.m.?”  
“Sure, why?”  
“Because you, my friend, have got a job interview with a friend of mine. He works as a mechanic and he’s great.”  
“No way! You are great! Thank you so much!” I exclaimed. I could not fuck this up, because if this guy paid a little better than Pierce did, I would still be able to pay rent and eat this month.  
“You’re welcome. So, how about I pick you up and we go and eat before your interview? If you want, that is..” Steve ended lamely.  
I grinned to myself, Steve was kind of a dork. “Yes. I’d like that. Pick me up at 2 at Pershing Square. You know where that is?” I asked, just to be sure he didn’t drive all the way to Alaska or something.  
“Yeah, I’ll find it. See you then, Buck.” Steve ended the call.  
I finished the day with a smile on my face and a hint of a spring in my step. If anyone noticed and commented, I would only shrug.  
~

“Damn, you’ve got a nice car.” I commented as Steve pulled up and I opened the door. “Oh right, language.” I snickered as I got in.  
Steve started driving and we fell into a comfortable silence, but after a while I whipped my head to the side and looked at his profile, which I found to be quite attractive, but that on the side, I spoke up. “Language? Really? You were a soldier, right? The army is more swearing than it is training.”  
Steve snorted at the sudden start of a conversation, “Well, yeah. So? I can still watch my language.”  
“Doesn’t sound right.” I snickered as I shook my head, “You heard of the saying ‘Cursing like a sailor’? I think that applies to the army too, at least as I can remember it.”  
That’s when Steve’s head turned, “You were in the army?”  
“Yeah. Not for long though. I quickly got shot in my arm and I figured that it just wasn’t my thing. I felt controlled, having to act on others orders, reporting back and stuff. I felt like a tool. I didn’t like it, so I got out.” I answered, unconsciously rubbing the arm that got shot years back.  
“Sorry to hear about that. You mind me asking what exactly happened to your arm?” Steve asked carefully.  
“Yeah. That’s okay. We were on a mission, can’t tell you where, and things went sideways. Bad guys came in, we tried to get out, and on the way out I got shot in my upper arm. Bullet went straight through, hitting a nerve or two, so I had to recover for a long time, but I’m almost back to a 100%. After that I wasn’t gonna be any good in the field for the coming months or even years with my injury, and I like work where I can use my hands. So all those reasons put together were enough to get me to quit..”  
Just when I finished my story, Steve stopped the car and turned it off, then turned to look at me.  
“Thanks for telling me. Are you okay?” He tilted his head slightly. It made him look like a giant Labrador puppy. Kinda cute.  
I smiled and looked him in the eyes, “Yes, I am. Let’s go get something to eat.”


	5. Today is the day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting quicker than I'm writing... Oops.  
> I hope you like the story so far. Please let me know, 'cause it'd brighten my day.  
> Have a good day, folks!

After Steve and I had gotten something to eat, we started walking over to the Stark Tower.  
“You’re kidding. Tony Stark?! I’m not ready for that. Let’s just turn back and I’ll just-“ But before I could finish my lame excuse Steve linked his arm in mine and picked up the pace.  
“Yes. And he is a great mechanic. I’m sure you’ll like him and he’ll like you. Let’s go.”  
Steve walked into the place like he owned it. He smiled at the girl who came up to us and asked where Tony was. His garage, apparently. Steve greeted the girl by name, who wasn’t wearing a tag and pulled me into a lift.  
I stared at Steve, “You really do live here, hmm?” I laughed.  
“What-, oh. No, I’ve just been here a million times. Tony’s an old friend.”  
After a really short time the elevator dinged, announcing we had arrived at the desired location; the garage.  
My palms were sweaty and I quickly wiped them on my pants before straightening up and walking in as confidently as possible.  
“Good afternoon, mister Stark. I’m Bucky Barnes. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I smiled. Managing to stop my hand from nearly vibrating when I stuck it out for him to shake.  
“Bucky. Nice to meet you too, and please, it’s just Tony. Mister Stark was my father. Have a seat.” He spoke to me with a friendly smile, pointing at an empty chair in front of a metal desk.  
“Tony.” Steve greeted with a smile before hugging him.  
“Hey Steve. Nice seeing you.” Tony mumbled against the large man. He actually had to get on his tippy toes to not get buried in the hug.  
Both men took a seat and the interview started.  
“So, mechanics, hmm? Have any experience?”  
“I used to work with cars a lot in my teens.” I rubbed my neck then, because that was all, really.. “I can’t say I’ve had more work experience, except for fixing the occasional failing machinery at home or my car.”  
“Why do you want to do this job?” Tony asked.  
“Well, I was always interested in mechanics. When I was a child I used to work on cars with my father, and he took me to one of those expos which shows all kinds of mechanics and cool stuff. It was like being in the future. I just wanted to make things work better.. Also it’s something to do for my hands and I like the work.”  
“Sounds good. So when can you start?” Tony smiled.  
Did he just ask that? Honestly? “You- You’re not kidding?”  
“Why would I? I could use someone like you. Are you in?”  
A smile broke out on my face, “Yes! Thank you so much. And I can work whenever you need me.”  
“Well, how about Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday? Will that work? You can try those days for a month, if you want to change anything or if the work’s not for you, you call me about it.”  
“That sounds great. Where do I sign?” I smiled. This was too good to be true.  
Tony grabbed a stack of papers and handed it over to me, “Read this first. Thoroughly. You can mail it to me within a week and you’ll be hired. Sound good?”  
“Yes. Great even. Thanks again, Tony.” I said as I enthusiastically shook his hand.  
~

“Thank you so much for that, Steve!” I exclaimed excitedly as we left the Stark Tower.  
“Why? It was all you in there.” Steve smiled, “But I do believe a celebratory drink is in order. You up for that?”  
“Hell yeah I am.” I smirked.  
“Language.” Steve whispered.  
I laughed at that, such a dork. “Sorry.” I whispered back as I bumped his shoulder.  
~

After the drink, which quickly turned into a few more, Steve and I made our way back to my apartment. Steve insisted on walking me home, given it wasn’t far anyway. Such a gentleman.  
“Well, Steve,” I smiled, “thank you for today. You are a great friend.” I said as I went in for a hug. Alcohol always made me a little more.. physical?  
Steve reciprocated and mumbled something in my hair about it being alright.  
We said our goodbyes and parted ways. I closed the door and smiled. This was great. I had a job! A legal one, with Tony fucking Stark as my boss! Wow.  
I flicked on the light in my hallway, which flickered a few times before lighting the hallway and I walked into my living room, which was small, ugly and only contained an old couch and a little table. I put the contract on the table and walked into my bedroom (a matrass on the floor).  
Time to sleep.


	6. Eyes with dollar signs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote another chapter, which I'm proud of because I really couldn't find what to write.  
> Also, if you find any mistakes, please comment on them, because this isn't beta'd.  
> Hope you all like the chapter! Have a good day or night!

Given today was a Wednesday, it was a workday, so I got up early and dressed appropriately and made my way to work. I work in a bakery, which is nice, but just really boring. I don’t like baking. Never have, and nothing exciting ever happens in a bakery. Not this one, at least. My boss is nice though. Phil Coulson. He’s an odd guy, never really says anything unless it’s work-related. But he pays fairly and is always nice to his costumers and staff.  
When the shop closed up and I went home with flour in my hair and under my nails I remembered I still had a contract to read. That thought actually cheered me up, even though I wasn’t really good with contracts..  
~

I grabbed the contract from the table and sat myself down on my ratty couch, flicked on the light and started reading. After 5 minutes my head hurt and I decided that maybe I should give Steve a call. He’s probably way smarter and wouldn’t mind helping out.  
“Hey Steve.”  
“Hey Buck, is everything all right?”  
I smirked. You could almost hear the worry lines forming in Steve’s face.  
“Yeah, I just kinda wanted to ask if you could help with the contract, because honestly I don’t understand it.., kinda stupid. So, yeah..” I ended, really lamely. Wow.  
“Sure, want me to come over?” Steve agreed.  
I quickly looked around. No way Steve would wanna be in here, in this stinky, old apartment.  
“Ehm, how about I come over? Still at the same hotel?” I quickly asked.  
“Yeah.”  
“Okay, you got time?”  
“Sure. I’ll be waiting. See you in a bit. Be safe out.” Steve said.  
I looked outside where it was dark already, but still, Steve worried too much. “Yeah, see you.” And I hung up and grabbed a coat.  
~

Steve opened up the door and welcomed me into his hotel room, which I’d gotten to know these last couple of days.  
“So, wanna sit down and read it with me?” I asked as I followed Steve further into his room.  
We both sat down at either side of a well-lit table and I gave Steve the contract.  
“To be honest, I read the first page, got a headache and quit.. I’m not much of a genius and I have no idea what I’m even looking at..” I confessed. Better that Steve knew now that I was a basket case than find out when I couldn’t understand any of what he was saying.  
Steve looked at me and quirked an eyebrow, “Hey, first off, you are smart. How many languages do you know again? You need brains for that. Second, of course I’ll help.”  
Over the course of the following few hours Steve explained about everything that I needed to know, work hours, vacations, what to do when I was sick, and last but not least, the payment.  
“Say what now?” I stared, my mouth open.  
“I said-“ Steve repeated before I actually squealed.  
“I heard, I just can’t believe it! 19 dollars an hour!” I really wanted to dance now. Man I felt good! 19 dollars an hour was twice the amount I got at the bakery, and Hydra? Well, they paid better than the bakery, but that was to be expected, working as a prostitute. But this! This was awesome! If I’d just work 4 days a week I’d be making more than I did now with 6 days a week! And I’d have free time. Not just free off work but at home doing cleaning and stuff, no, I’d actually be free! Maybe go outside, lay in the grass in a park, walk around or go see the sights? The possibilities are endless and my mind is spinning with them.  
When I got my mind out of wonderland and back to the room I was in I looked at Steve with wide eyes, who was smiling at me, and it kinda looked like he was staring. In any other situation this was the time where I’d have made a snarky remark about how staring was impolite, but quite frankly the only thing that came out of my mouth was another squeal, followed by “Steve, I’m gonna be okay!”  
Steve just smiled that adorable smile of his and sighed, “Yeah Buck, of course you are.”  
After my inner party had died out (even though I was still buzzing and really fucking happy) Steve and I decided we’d have a drink and watch some TV.  
Steve yawned and only then did it dawn on me that I had been here for hours and it was probably way past midnight. I checked my phone and saw it was already 2 in the morning! Jeez, Steve was probably tired as hell and I was bothering the poor guy.  
I stood up, “Sorry Steve, I forgot about the time. You should be getting some sleep and honestly, so should I, I’ve got work tomorrow morning.”  
Steve got up too and put his hand on my shoulder, “Hey, it’s fine, and do you really need to go home? I mean, I’d rather have you stay here. That way I know you’re safe, at least.”  
This guy kept surprising me with how nice he was, damn. How do you say no to a guy this sweet and handsome, hmm?  
“Well, I haven’t even showered and I don’t have any clothes with me, so I should really be getting home.” I rubbed my neck, contemplating my options. I would actually like to stay here, but it wasn’t really practical.  
“Well, you can shower here tomorrow morning if you want, and you can just use a pair of my clothes. We’re almost the same size anyway.” Steve ended with a smile.  
~

Not even half an hour later and here I was, staring at the ceiling of a nice hotel room, in clothes that weren’t mine, on a couch I was getting familiar with, in an apartment with a stranger I met not 5 days ago. And if you’d have told me 6 days ago that I’d actually meet a nice guy who saves me from.. something bad, gives me money like it’s nothing, gets me a real fucking job that pays all my bills… then I’d have told you to piss off and find a psychiatrist, because that would be fucking crazy.  
Yet here I was.


	7. Mutual agreements

Steve woke up in cold sweat. His eyes shot open and he yanked on the sheets so hard he could hear them rip. Fucking nightmares.  
That’s when he saw a small figure in the corner of the room under a blanket. The figure was folded against the wall, sleeping as if it was the most comfortable position ever.  
“Buck?” Steve’s raw voice tried to say. It came out as more of a whisper.

That’s when I started to stir in my corner before actually opening my eyes to the very unwelcoming morning light shining in my eyes.  
“Gosh..” I grumbled as I pulled my blanket up to my eyes.  
“Buck. Are you..?” Steve mumbled just loud enough for me to hear.  
That was the moment I noticed I was not in my own bed, nor was I on the couch of a veteran blond. No. I was on the floor, rolled in a blanket like a burrito. And the more awake I was becoming, the more I noticed how uncomfortable I was! What idiot sleeps on the floor when there are plenty of other options?  
“I’m okay.” I mumbled as I got up with a few aching bones. My blanket draped around my shoulders like a super hero would wear it’s cape.  
I shot a look at the bed Steve was currently falling out off. His leg was entangled in the sheets and oh well.. now Steve was on the floor and I couldn’t help but snort rudely.  
“Sorry..” I apologised as I rubbed my neck, walking over to help Steve up.  
“Did I wake you again?” Steve asked. You could see immediate guilt all over that pretty face of his.  
“Let’s say this was more of a mutual agreement.”  
Steve quirked an eyebrow, “Explain that to me over breakfast.”  
~

“So, I woke you up. Again. And then you decided that keeping some distance this time was safest before I’d crush you in my sleep and you figured, that in this case, sleeping in the corner of my room was the best option?”  
“Well, when you say it like that it sounds horrible. Jeez, Steve.” I laughed as I punched his shoulder. “I was having a nightmare too and woke up from noises coming from your room where you were having a nightmare. I tried calming you down and it worked. You were like, half awake at the time and told me to stay in your room. But before I could say anything you fell asleep again, spread out on your bed like a starfish, so I grabbed my blanket and decided to stay.” I explained. What I didn’t tell Steve is that he looked terrible last night. Tears still streaming down his cheeks even after waking up from the horrors his dreams must terrorize him with. He begged for me to stay and when he stopped whispering you could hear my heart breaking in the silence that fell. I just couldn’t leave him alone after that…  
I continued to Steve, “In my defence, I was also barely awake and when fully awake, I would not have picked the corner of a room to sleep in.”  
I glanced at the time on my phone out of habit and saw I really had to get going to make it on time to the bakery. Uhg. I honestly didn’t want to go because breakfast was great and Steve was too..  
“I really gotta get going. Thanks for everything! I’ll call you.” I said to Steve before leaving his apartment. Leaving Steve standing in his doorway.  
~

Today was a Thursday, meaning I’d usually work in the bakery till around 4 and then go home, shower, shave, clean up and make my way over to Pierce. Thursday night was kinda the start of the weekend for a lot of folks and it mostly resulted in more money for Pierce, so he decided all of his ‘employees’ had to work that night too. It was fine by me, because I could just make a couple of bucks extra. But, now that Pierce fired me last week, I have time on my hands that I kinda don’t know what to do with. I figure I might as well go home and clean up, so I won’t have to do it later. After cleaning for a while my eye caught on a stack of paper on my table and suddenly I had something to do again. I dressed up a little, grabbed the papers and hailed a cab.  
“Take me to 200 Park Avenue, Manhattan.” I instruct the cabdriver as I jump in.  
~

“Hi.. ehm, I came here for Tony Stark..?” I stammer to the girl behind the desk. The same one from last Tuesday.  
“Alright. Did you have an appointment?” She asks with a polite smile.  
Shit. I didn’t even call. “Ehm, no. I have a contract and I wanted to sign and I just thought I’d come say that.. to him..” Uhg. How old am I again. I sound like a thirteen year old on its first job…  
“Well, Mr. Stark is a busy man, but I’ll check his schedule for you.” She smiled with just a little more sweetness than usual. With the job that I had, and with that I mean working for Pierce, you pick up a few things, like reading body language. I could always see who was interested, who was secretive and mostly who was bad news. Mostly.  
Just before the girl was gonna speak up again the elevator dinged and mister Stark himself walked out, dressed in a suit, with sunglasses on. Inside. Who wears sunglasses inside?  
Tony walked over to the desk where I was standing. He greeted the girl by name, Anne, I heard. And then turned towards me, “Ah, Bucky. Good to see you. How’s the contract coming along?” Tony asked as he shook my hand.  
“That’s actually what I came here about. I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time to talk about it?” I asked.  
Tony looked at me over the brim of his glasses, looked at his watch and then smiled back at me, “Sure. Follow me.”

Tony led me into a spacious room, for conferences was my guess, looking at the long table with at least 15 chairs.  
“Sit, please.” Tony pointed me to a chair. He himself sat down too and folded his hands.  
“So, what’s up? Anything unclear?” Tony asked, pointing at the contract I was still holding.  
“Eh, no, no. Steve helped with that, and I’d like to sign.” I smiled.  
Tony raised his eyebrows as if he was surprised by my answer, “Really? That’s great.” Tony took a hold of the contract and flipped to the last pages and summoned a pen out of thin air and handed it to me.  
“If you’re sure, you can sign here, there, and there.” Tony explained, pointing at the blank spaces.  
I popped the cap off of the pen and signed a scribble that was supposed to resemble J.B.Barnes.  
I handed the contract over to Tony, “Wanna start Monday?” Tony asked.  
“Yes, sir.” I answered, smiling.  
I couldn’t wait.


	8. Week's over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Personally, I don't really like this chapter, it's more of a filler-chapter, but fellas, bare with me because things will become more interesting.  
> Leave kuddos and comments, and constructive criticism is always welcome! Have a good day

“Steve, what do I wear?” I rambled into the phone. “And stop laughing. I can hear you.” I squinted my eyes, picturing how the blonds shoulders would shake with his laughter.  
“Stop stressing out then. You’re gonna be a mechanic, so whatever you wear will probably wind up all sweaty and covered in grease.” Steve cleared his throat, “Also, we’re talking about Tony here. He might look glamorous in all of his expensive suits, but he’s also human. Mostly.”  
I snickered at that, “So, I’ll just put on something old? But Steeeve, I wanna make a good impression tomorrow!” I whined.  
“You’re already hired, Buck. Now stop stressing out and start relaxing. I know you’re gonna do great and Tony already likes you. How could he not?” Steve responded.  
“Because I’m that much of a charmer.” I grinned.  
~

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday passed in a flurry of grease smeared clothes, sweaty shirts and the relief of not coming up short on money.

I’ve always worked at least 2 jobs since I was thirteen, simply because I needed to make the money. I’ve never had a choice in working less than I did, because no one would support me otherwise. I have no family left and no friends to crash at. Well, Natasha maybe.  
But now everything’s changed.  
Now, I am sat on a couch next to my new friend, who is to be described as a blond, veteran, puppy-ish, incredibly friendly guy.  
Now, I’ve got a night off without having to worry about losing my apartment.  
Now, I’m doing fucking great.

“Hey, you wanna hang out tomorrow?” I asked Steve while opening another beer for the both of us.  
“Sure, but I’ve got this meeting first. If you want, you can come. It’s with an old army pal of mine, Sam Wilson.”  
“What’s it about?”  
“It’s a VA meeting. You don’t have to come and I’d understand.” Steve smiled.  
I had to think about that. VA meetings were meant to help veterans. And even though I was one, I’d never been to one. I never really understood how it could help you. Instead I just opted out of the times someone asked me to at least come take a look, and I'd rather handled everything on my own. I was fine.  
“Well, I’ve never been to one..” I answered, very non-committal.  
Steve quirked an eyebrow, “Never? Why not?”  
“I never found it could help me.” I shrugged.  
“Alright. Not everyone likes it. But I promised I’d come, and it kinda helps me.” Steve said, zoning off for a second there, “I think it starts at 10 and ends at 11.30 or something. But you don’t have to come. We can just meet somewhere for lunch after?” Steve offered.  
“No, no. I’ll come with.” I might nog believe in VA meetings for my own benefit, but if it helps Steve, who am I to be a dick about it?  
~

I found myself a little past 9.30 in the morning, leaning casually against a wall, waiting for Steve to show up.  
“Come on, man! You just have longer legs!”  
“Right, pfft. I passed you by easily. My stamina’s just better. Admit it, Wilson.” Steve’s voice came through the hall.  
I turned my head to see Steve walking next to a shorter guy. Both were grinning and squabbling over… their legs?  
I watched them for a few minutes with an amused smirk on my face because their conversation sounded pretty damn ridiculous.  
“I will not admit anything. I want a rematch!” The shorter guy, Wilson-, eh, Sam Wilson, exclaimed, making a show of stretching his legs already.  
Steve snorted and gave his shoulder a push, “I’d beat your ass, Sam. But if that’s what you want. Let’s set a date.”  
“Alright. How about next Friday, 9 A.M.?” Sam proposed.  
Steve stuck out his hand and the men shook on it before Steve turned to me and smiled.  
“Hey Buck, glad you could make it. Bucky, Sam. Sam, Bucky.” Steve introduced us and we shook hands.  
“Hey man. I’ve heard a lot about you. Nice to finally meet you.” Sam said before opening a door to a room and letting all of the other people in too.  
Everyone had apparently been here before because they all moved to grab chairs, set them up in rows and take a seat. Steve saved me a seat and pulled me down to sit, “Thanks for being here.” He whispered.  
Before I could respond, Sam spoke up and started the meeting.  
~

Honestly, I kinda didn’t hate it.  
There may or may not have been a point where I had to pinch my arm to keep the stinging behind my eyes at that and not let it escalate, but when Steve looked at me after Sam told everyone to have a good week and call him if necessary, I felt the stinging make its reappearance.  
“You alright?” I asked Steve.  
“Yeah. He just has a way of speaking. It hits a little close to home. But it helps. Makes me feel like I’m not alone.” Steve responded, looking at Sam. I followed his gaze, seeing Sam was talking to a man in a wheelchair, laughing about something with him. He really did have something about him when he spoke.  
“You’re not alone.” I smiled. Steve smiled back, his eyes smiling with.

Sam spoke to a few more people and then made his way to us. We talked for a little while before Steve excused himself to go visit the bathroom.  
“So, Bucky.” Sam started, his arms crossed.  
I felt the need to quirk an eyebrow and laugh. If he was gonna give me the talk on how to treat Steve properly, I was gonna laugh in his face about it.  
“How did you like the meeting?” Sam asked instead.  
“I liked it. You’re good at talking. It makes it bearable.” I said, trying to be a little sarcastic about it.  
Sam scoffed, “Thanks. You don’t like these kind of things?”  
“Not really.” I rubbed the back of my neck, “They never really helped.” I admitted.  
Sam’s eyebrows rose a little. He probably didn’t know I was a veteran too. “I can understand that. Not everyone likes it. That’s alright.” Sam stopped for a second, probably pondering on whether to ask me what happened to me, but just before he spoke up, Steve came back.  
“Hey guys, something I missed?”  
“Besides me? Nah.” I chirped, punching his shoulder and smiling brightly. New conversation.  
“Very funny, Buck.” Steve smirked, before turning to Sam, “Hey, thanks for the meeting. You did great. And see you next Friday. Better start working out to beat me.”  
Sam scoffed, “Yeah man, but you won’t even see me. All you’ll be seeing is the dust I’m leaving you in.”  
The men laughed, we shook hands and Steve and I left to go grab some food.


	9. Dying for some sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter ready for publishing, what a great day!  
> Please leave comments and kuddos and have yourselves a great day too!

“Good morning, Tony.” I greeted the man who was already working on some new project. Probably has been since yesterday. At best.  
Tony grumbled back something that vaguely resembled a response and continued the task he was currently doing. I grinned. This was my second week of working with Tony and I actually really liked it. Of course the pay and hours were better and it was safer than my last job with Hydra (unless Tony tried something stupid. It had only happened once. Last week..).  
We both worked for a few more hours before I checked the time and noticed it was time for lunch. I made my way over to Tony to talk him into eating something too, because I had quickly learned that the man would otherwise happily work until I could hear his stomach growling at him from across the room.  
We sat in companionable silence before I finally spoke up, “So, Tony, how long have you known Steve?”  
“Ehhm, about 5 years or something. How about you? He never told me.”  
I laughed, thinking about how long I’ve known Steve. “I think a little over 2 weeks now.”  
Tony snorted in response, “Really? I wouldn’t have guessed that. You seem like you’ve been friends since childhood.”  
“Kinda feels like it too.” It really did.  
We talked for a while and ate our sandwiches before agreeing to get back to work.  
~

When I got home from work I plopped myself on the couch, sitting in complete silence for a while and letting my thoughts run wild.  
Work was exhausting, but great. Safe. Sane, for once. Tony was a cool dude, totally not what I expected him to be, given the magazines all make him look like a hero and the villain at the same time, and always the rich man who’s above everyone else. He’s really just a nice guy. A bit of a workaholic, but nice. My apartment was still shitty, but first I had to save some money before I was gonna renovate or even think about moving out. It’s what I learned growing up, if you’ve got money to spare, save it for the bad days. It was kinda wise. Also I was still a little short on money since Pierce paid me really badly that last day I worked for him. Maybe I’d ask Tony for a few days extra work. I could complain about that to Steve. Steve, hmm. Steve was probably in his hotel. What would he be doing? Maybe he’d be bored, or sad, or lonely.  
I quickly grabbed my phone and texted Steve.  
B.Barnes; ‘Hey, how you doing?’  
A few seconds later my phone buzzed.  
S.Rogers; ‘Hey Buck, I’m good. How was work?’  
B.Barnes; ‘It was good. How was your day?’ I asked.  
S.Rogers; ‘It was a long one.’ Steve just responded with. What was that supposed to mean?  
B.Barnes; ‘How many hours did it have? Cause mine mostly last about 24 hours.’ I joked back.  
S.Rogers; ‘Haha. Very funny. Well, mine felt a lot longer.’  
B.Barnes; ‘How’s that?’  
S.Rogers; ‘I had a few meetings with my former employer. It was very tiring.’  
I frowned to myself and tried to recall what Steve’s last job was. I only ever heard him mention the army and how that ended badly, or something.  
B.Barnes; ‘The army? Wanna talk about it?’  
S.Rogers; ‘Yes, the army. And no, maybe some other time. Thanks.’  
B.Barnes; ‘Well, are you busy this Thursday? We could hang out maybe?’  
Steve responded that he was up for it, and we decided we’d meet back at his place. We texted for a few hours more. Don’t ask what it was about, because honestly it was about everything that came to mind. It was a comfortable conversation and I actually caught myself laughing at my phone at every response Steve sent me.  
Steve decided to be the grown-up and told me to go get some sleep, given it was already 1 A.M.  
~

Thursday came around pretty quickly, and I found myself knocking on Steve’s hotel room door by the end of the morning.  
Steve opened the door, looking like he’d just woken up, greeted me, and went back to the kitchen to slurp down his coffee.  
I raised an eyebrow but followed him inside quietly.  
“So,” I started, “How are you feeling?”  
Steve held up a finger while he gulped down the rest of the coffee before pouring a new cup and answering, “Great.” He deadpanned.  
I snorted. The blond looked like crap, and even then he was handsome. Besides the point. His blond hair was standing in every direction possible, and his eyes weren’t even fully open, even though the coffee was slowly starting to kick in. His clothes were a mess and he barely even said anything. That last thing alone made it clear something was wrong.  
“Sit down, Steve.” I patted the space next to where I sat down and watched, a little amused, at how Steve grabbed the full cup of coffee with both hands, almost making the tiny cup disappear, and saunter over to the couch.  
“What’s going on? And don’t tell me you’re alright.”  
“I just slept really shitty. Or well, I just didn’t really sleep at all.” Steve muttered.  
I frowned, “Nightmares?” I asked softly.  
Steve just nodded before sipping his coffee again.  
“Wanna talk about it? Or call Sam? He knows more about this than I do.”  
Steve just shook his head, “No, Sam’s at work.. And I’m fine.”  
I almost scoffed. “Come on, Steve. You look like crap and I’m betting you feel like it too.” Then in a softer voice, “Talking does help sometimes. It would’ve helped me when my nightmares were real bad. I was just too stubborn to do anything about it. But you can always start somewhere. So I’ll go first.” I waited for Steve to tell me to either stop or to continue. After a silence, Steve nodded softly, and I took it as a ‘go on’.  
“In my nightmares I’m always me, but different. Like my mind is there, but I can’t control my body. My hands keep grabbing for weapons and I keep shooting at people. Some I don’t know, some I used to. And there’s always this guy who has a horrifying face, as if the skin just melted off of his skull; it’s just red. Like blood. And he’s always ordering for me to do things, and I can never stop, unless I wake up..” I cleared my throat. It got a little constricted while talking about the nightmares. I had never really talked about them with someone. Not since I left the army, at least.  
Steve looked at me, and then back at his hands, which were fumbling with the hem of his shirt. A pained expression on his face. I didn’t like it on his face. A smile would be better.  
“D’you wanna tell me yours?” I asked softly.  
Steve nodded before sitting up and clearing his throat.


	10. Dying for some sleep pt.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was gonna upload this tomorrow but I was/ am feeling a little down so why not upload a story and make some of you happy maybe.  
> Also it's a little short, but I still liked it well enough, hope you do too.  
> Have a good day/ night

“I have a few nightmares and they all return every once in a while, but there’s always the one that I can never really deal with.. It’s the worst one.” Steve paused, clearing his throat again, “I’m with my old team and we go into hostile territory, but it’s nothing like we haven’t done before, just a regular mission. In and out. And I don’t know why, but one second we’re walking into a building, and the next I see my team, my friends, on the floor, already dead or still bleeding out and there’s nothing I can ever do to save them. And after I’ve seen all of my friends lying there, everything seems to grow colder around me. The snow that was outside slowly starts creeping into my body, starting with my toes, until I just can’t move anymore and I just want it to be over, but the freezing cold just stays inside me, but it doesn’t kill me..” Steve stopped talking and I study his face, seeing his face look so hurt makes my heart clench. The poor guy must be traumatized..  
Then Steve whispered, “I never could save them, you know. Not even in my dreams.”  
The dreams Steve has must be linked to what really happened to him, back in the army. Maybe Sam can explain what really happened to Steve back then.. I’ll ask him someday.  
I didn’t know what to say to Steve to make him feel better, so I decided to just stay silent. I grabbed his hands, which were cold like ice, and propped myself up against him on the couch. Maybe my body would warm up his, and the contact would keep him grounded. I just hoped.  
Steve didn’t seem against the idea, given he didn’t pull back his hands and he even put his arm around me, pulling me even closer.  
“You should try to get some sleep. I’ll be right here.” I whispered. Steve nodded weakly and closed his eyes after a while.  
After a few minutes I noticed Steve’s breath had evened out, and the warm body against me had let go of all the tension it held. I looked up and studied Steve’s face again and came to the conclusion that this face was much better looking now than it had 5 minutes ago. He looked peaceful. His blond hair was still a little unruly, with one little, adorable pluck of hair falling to his forehead. His long eyelashes fluttered and his lips quirked sometimes. I was still staring at him when Steve moved, which actually almost made me jump, but Steve slept through it and snuggled into my side some more, pulling on my arm to drape me on top of him like a blanket. The guy was just a giant teddy bear. Adorable!

I opened my eyes when I felt movement and craned my neck to check the clock from the weird angle I was at right now. My eyes widened at the realisation it was already late in the afternoon and Steve was stirring in his sleep, probably close to waking. Then I realised I actually fell asleep too, on top of Steve, who was now warm as a furnace and very, very clingy in his sleep. Who knew?  
Steve’s eyes finally opened and he blinked against the dimming light the sun was still shining into the hotel room and into his eyes. When his sight returned he blushed and smiled a little, before muttering a weak sorry to me.  
I snorted in response. Yes, it’s a rude habit and people don’t always appreciate it, but people should just shut up.  
“Don’t worry about it, punk. I fell asleep too. Slept pretty damn good, actually.” I grinned as I propped myself up on Steve’s (very firm) chest.  
Perhaps this was a little too close and it could quickly turn awkward, so I very casually removed my body from his and stretched my sore muscles, hearing a few cracks from the way I had been sleeping.  
“How late is it anyway?” Steve asked.  
“Past 4 already. You really did need your sleep, pal.”  
Steve hummed, “Guess I did. So, did I waste our time together by falling into a coma and once again, crushing you in my sleep, or can you stay for a little while longer?”  
I laughed, “I have the whole day off so I guess I can stay a little while longer. Now move, we’re gonna watch a movie. Do you watch movies?” I decided as I shoved his feet off of the couch and sat down next to Steve.  
“Never.” Steve admitted, “So which one are we gonna watch?”  
“All of ‘em”


	11. Make a run for it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a little longer than the last one, hope you like it!  
> Leave comments and kuddos and have a good day!

“You’re late. Why are you late? Did the world end or something?” Sam asked Steve, who came jogging up to him.  
“Well, it didn’t end because I saved it, duh. And are we gonna run or chat?” Steve quipped back before taking off, a swearing Sam behind him.  
~

“You need a medic?” Steve joked as a panting Sam plopped down on the grass, resting his back against a tree.  
“I need a new set of lungs. Dude, I never ran that fast and still, you were faster.” But before Steve could quip something back, Sam followed with, “But only by a little. I just had a late start.”  
“Sure Wilson. Keep telling yourself that.” Steve grinned as he extended an arm and pulled Sam up.  
“You know, you seem chipper today. Even more so than usual.” Sam noticed.  
“Well, I guess I just slept good.” Steve answered with a shrug of his shoulders.  
Sam’s eyebrows rose, “Really? You ‘slept good’.”  
“Yes. What’s so weird about that?”  
“Dude, I’ve known you for a while now, and first thing I remember you telling me was that you thought your matrass was a marshmallow and you’d sink right through it. Second, you haven’t slept without nightmares since you came back. So, you gonna tell me what happened or-?”  
“I-, well-“ Steve stuttered, trying to find the right words without admitting too much to his friend.  
“I slept with Bucky.”  
Oh yeah, that definitely came out wrong.  
“You slept with Bucky?” Sam almost yelled, his eyes comically wide and smirking a very annoying smile, Steve thought.  
“No! Well, yes.. Wait! Let me explain.” Steve hurriedly said.  
Sam gestured for Steve to go on, looking very pleased with himself.  
“Well, short story is, we fell asleep on the couch, woke up, watched movies for about 9 hours, passed out again, and then I was here.”  
Sam just stared at Steve with that smile on his face that told Steve Sam didn’t believe a word of what he just said.  
“So, you just slept with the guy, and now you’re all smiles.”  
“Oh shut up.” Steve slapped Sam on the shoulder and thankfully, Sam dropped the subject.  
After sitting on the grass and cooling down a little, Steve stood up, pulling Sam to his feet and said smirking, “Thanks for the run. If that’s what you wanna call running.”  
Sam scoffed, “That’s how it is?”  
“Oh yeah. That’s how it is.” Steve smirked back.  
“Okay. Well, anytime you wanna stop by the VA or just hang out, just text me.” Sam said, already turning to leave, “And tell Bucky I said hi!” Sam shouted while giggling.  
“Goodbye Sam!” Steve shouted back in mock-annoyance.  
~

Steve unlocked his door and walked directly into the kitchen, immediately noticing the smell of eggs and slightly burnt bacon.  
“Hey, you’re up. How are you?” Steve asked me as he moved behind me, probably to grab something to drink since I heard the water running.  
“Yeah, I’m good. You know, when you weren’t there when I woke up I had such a bad déjà vu to all of the one night stands I’ve had. Damn.” I joked. I turned around just in time to catch Steve blushing and turning away to inspect the food I was currently burning.  
Steve probably decided to ignore my statement as he merely answered with, “Well, I was on a run with Sam. He says hi by the way. Also, I’m assuming you cooked for the both of us, and I’m hungry, so thanks.” Steve grinned while quickly snatching away the plate I had just filled up for myself.  
“Hey!” I exclaimed laughing.  
~

“Are you sure you don’t have better stuff to do than hang out with me?” I asked for about the fourth time. I had been at Steve’s for at least a day and I felt kinda like an intruder and didn’t want to bother him.  
“I told ya, Buck, I got nothing better to do today. Nothing that tops hanging out with you.” Steve stated before looking away just a fraction of a second too late for me not to catch the slight blush his cheeks showed.  
I smiled, “Thanks, Steve.”  
“Talking about better things to do, how’s work?” Steve asked.  
“Work’s good. Tony’s a great boss, though compared to him I’m not as dedicated to my job as I feel I need to be.”  
“Don’t worry about that. Tony’s sometimes a little too dedicated. Did you know that I had to carry him out of his lab once? I don’t think his legs would’ve worked if he tried. JARVIS told me he’d been there for at least 3 days with less than a few hours’ sleep and I hope at least one sandwich. That man brings the word ‘workaholic’ to a whole new level.”  
“Yeah, I get that. I always have to coax him into taking a break, but thankfully he almost always gives in after a while.”  
“Really?” Steve asked, “He must really like you then because I’d never gotten him to do that without having to carry him out of his nest he calls a workplace.”  
I laughed, “Talking about work, you wanna talk about yours?”  
I immediately noticed the change in Steve’s facial expression. What was happy and open closed off, his smile faltered and his lips were now a thin line and I already hated myself for bringing it up.  
“You don’t have to.” I quickly followed.  
“It’s okay. Might as well..” Steve almost sighed, “My old boss, director Fury, called me, asking about my return.”  
What a stupid name, Fury. Makes him sound like he’s angry all the time..  
“So,” Steve continued, “I told him that I got out for a good reason and I wasn’t planning on going back. Let’s just say he didn’t wanna accept that he’d lost his best captain and the call ended in us both raising our voices.”  
I frowned, Steve never told me why he’d gotten out in the first place, except for the ominous ‘they weren’t who I thought they were’.  
“So what now? Will he leave you alone now?” I asked.  
“I don’t think so. He’ll probably try again in a few days.” Steve tiredly ran a hand through his hair. His hair just sprung back into its original shape.  
“Can I ask why you really left the army?” I asked softly.  
Steve hummed, “The people I worked for, including Fury, they gave out the orders. And that was fine. I was a soldier, so I followed them. But after a while I started noticing that I wasn’t as willing to follow those orders anymore because they just weren’t right. I joined the army to do good. To serve my country and help people. At first that’s exactly what I did, and I went to bed at night, knowing I left the world a better place than I had found it that morning. But skip forward a few years and I couldn’t say the same anymore. When I closed my eyes, all I could see were innocent civilians gunned down by us, caught in the crossfire of a war that wasn’t theirs to die for. I didn’t agree with my superiors’ orders anymore, so I quit. And now they want me back to fight their wars again, and I don’t think that I can.”  
“Then you say no. You can, Steve. Stand up for yourself like you did for me the first night we met.” I told Steve, my hand on his arm to kinda, I don’t know, comfort him?  
Steve looked me in the eye and smiled weakly, his hand moved to mine and he squeezed it, “I will.”


	12. Home is where the heart is

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO, if you think this story could use some more action, definitely stay tuned for the next chapter/chapters because things are gonna take a turn (for better or for worse, who knows).  
> Hope you like this chapter and as always, please leave comments and kuddos!  
> Have a good day!

Skip forward a week, and there I was, sitting in my kitchen on a fold out chair with my head in my hands. This was describable as non-other than a shitty situation. Uhg.  
The day Pierce fired me, he paid me like 20% of what I was supposed to get paid out. But given at the moment I was seeing red, I forgot to thoughtfully check the money the bastard gave me, because I was more focused on trying to kick his ass. So, skip forward a month and, even though working as a mechanic paid great, it wasn’t enough to make up for the money I was supposed to have, and now I was short on rent.  
I couldn’t ask my landlord for a little more time because I had done that last month, and the month before… I could ask for a loan, but I hated being in someone’s debt. It meant owing someone something, and in the past, that had never worked out for me that well. People always took advantage of situations like that and last time I swore to myself, never again.  
So, no postponement and no loans meant no extra time nor more money. To conclude, today was the day I was gonna lose my apartment.  
Terrible as this little apartment was, it had been home for a few years now and I was gonna have to find a new place.  
Oh God, I was gonna have to find a new place!  
Where do I even find one that would barely cost anything because I barely had anything?!  
While I was busy freaking the fuck out, I didn’t notice my phone ringing of the hooks, and apparently, the phone calls I missed were important, because not an hour later, a certain blond was standing in front of my apartment, knocking on the door.  
“Steve?” I asked, wondering why he was in my apartment door.  
Oh no. He was gonna see my shitty apartment.  
I quickly ushered him out and closed the door, leaning against it.  
“So, ehh, hi. Watcha doin’ here?” I quipped.  
Steve quirked an eyebrow, “We were supposed to meet.”  
That’s when it dawned on me that I had indeed agreed to meet Steve at his place to go out and grab lunch somewhere, and I totally forgot about that while I was having my little crisis.  
“Fuck.” I muttered to myself, rubbing my neck.  
“Language.” Steve muttered back.  
I snorted in response. A grown man, that had been in the army for God’s sake, was telling me to watch my damn language. Ridiculous.  
“It’s alright, Buck. So, what’s up?” Steve asked. I detected a serious tone in his voice. Probably so I wouldn’t try and lie to him, but how could I lie to a man with eyes that resembled the eyes of a damn puppy?  
I hung my head, sighing, “I’m gonna lose my apartment.”  
“What?” Steve almost stuttered. I just sighed again. Steve was taken aback and probably didn’t know what to say given he remained silent for a while.  
“Wanna let me inside and talk about it?” Steve softly suggested.  
“Well ehh..” I rubbed my neck again, feeling incredibly self-conscious. Steve was rich, had a great hotel room which was probably worth more than everything I owned in total and could very possibly think less of me for owning.. well, nothing.  
“Buck.” Steve put a hand on my shoulder and made me look up, “I don’t care if it’s not 5 stars. You know that, right?”  
“Okay..” I gave in after debating with myself a little. I opened the door and lead him into my scarcely furnished apartment.  
~

“Do you have a place to stay?”  
“I can ask if Natasha’s got some space.. I know Scarlet and Samantha don’t.” I was muttering to myself more than answering Steve’s question.  
“You know, you could stay with me?” Steve made it sound more like a question than an offer.  
“You sure?”  
“Yeah. Of course you can stay with me. It’s not like I don’t have the room for it. And I’d like the company.”  
A (probably very goofy looking) smile broke out on my face and I flew up to hug Steve, who was taken aback for only a second before hugging me back.  
“Thank you! I’ll just be a couple of days and then I’ll be outta your hair.” I promised.  
“Don’t worry, you’re welcome.” Steve smiled as I pulled back from our crushing hug. He is a very nice hugger.

Steve ended up being a great help. He and I had been busy all afternoon packing up and moving what little I owned to his room and at the end of the day we fell onto his couch.  
“You are a hero. D’you know that?” I poked his ribcage with my elbow.  
“What makes you say that?” Steve chuckled.  
“Well, you just keep being there at just the right moments. Keep saving me.”  
Steve turned to me and smiled softly, “Glad to be of service.” He whispered to me.  
I couldn’t help but notice the little glimmer in his eyes and the way the corners of his mouth just quirked up in a smile, baring just a hint of his perfect teeth and- Oh. No. Wrong train of thought.  
Distraction. Yes.  
“So, wanna watch another movie tonight? Can’t make it too late though, I got work tomorrow.” I rambled, quickly turning towards the tv and grabbing the remote.  
I could see Steve smirking and still looking at me, “Sure. Watcha got for me?” He asked before finally turning his burning gaze towards the tv.


	13. Safe to say we're not

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are about to change.

Almost a week had passed since I’d moved in with Steve and to be honest, I really didn’t wanna leave. He was just perfect. He was very respecting of my privacy, he was supporting, he was sweet, he was just- just perfect..  
In the past week I’d been hunting for apartments for myself, but it was slow-going, given I didn’t really have a lotta money and well, apartments were expensive.  
I decided to give Natasha a call. She was used to live on nothing too and probably knew some cheap apartments I could temporarily reside in. I hadn’t spoken to her in a while but we always kept contact. We’d kinda known each other for a long time; she started working for Hydra shortly after I did, so yeah, we were in the same boat. We understood each other.  
“Hey Natasha, how are ya?” I smiled into my phone.  
“Jesus James. You’re in deep shit, d’you know that?”  
Not what I expected her to greet me with. “What? Why? What’re you talking about?”  
“You don’t know? Hydra has been scouring all over the city for you. Good thing they’re terrible at being spies or they would’ve already found you. You need to run, James. They’re not playing around.”  
“Natasha! Explain to me what the hell is happening.”  
“They think you stole money from them. And not just a little. He’s talking about half a million.” Natasha hissed into the phone.  
“What?! I didn’t, Nat! I swear.”  
“I believe you. You wouldn’t. Where are you now? Still in that shitty apartment? It’s on your name, so you should lose it.” Natasha fired questions at me that I had no time to wonder about how she even knew all these things.  
“I lost the apartment. I’m with a friend. Shit, Nat, what do I do?”  
“Alright, listen. That friend, do you trust him?”  
“I do.”  
“Then tell him about this. He can’t contact police because I’m betting Hydra owns half of ‘em. Your job, who’s it with? How good is their security?”  
“Stark. I don’t think they’ll get through that.”  
“You’ve got a job with Stark? Damn, James.” I could hear her smirking into the phone.  
“What if they find me? I can’t run forever, Nat.”  
“I know. You need to clear your name or something. I know the money was stolen from one of Pierce’s offshore accounts. I think it was one in Siberia. The amount stolen was ‘round half a million and the account it was wired to has its origins somewhere in this city.”  
“It’s a big city, Nat.” I said, my hand rubbing my temple to try and relieve some pressure that had begun torturing my head.  
“Well you’re gonna have to figure something out. Maybe that Stark can track the wire transfer or something. I bet he’s a smart guy. And now I’ve gotta toss this phone because Hydra is for sure tracking any and all calls with you. I’ll get you my new number. Be safe, James.”  
“You too, Nat.”

Jesus. How does that woman even know all of that crap. She’d make an awesome spy.  
I had to find Steve and tell him. I hoped he was already at home. He mostly was around this time, probably cooking because it was already dinner time and I’d be home in a few minutes from work.  
I opened the door to the room and found Steve where I expected him; in the kitchen, making something that smelled so good it made my mouth water.  
“Hey Buck, how was your day?” Steve asked with his back turned to me.  
Well, it had been fine, till I got a call that I was now a fucking fugitive from a not-so-secret organisation involved in multiple illegal things.  
That, I didn’t say, of course. What I did say was, “Ehm. Work was alright.” It wasn’t a lie. Work was fine. “Steve.” Steve turned around to look at me lingering in front of a chair with a frown on my face.  
Steve’s expression immediately changed to worried and he sat down, suggesting I do the same.  
“What is it, Buck?”  
“I’m in trouble, Steve. It’s Hydra.” I started with, before I explained everything to him in detail.  
At the end we were both not hungry anymore and we both fell silent.  
“We need to tell Tony. If he’s in danger, he needs to know.”  
~

“Is he in?” Steve asked Anne, “This is urgent.”  
Anne quickly dialled a number and asked if mister Stark was available. Apparently the answer was affirmative, given she told us to take the elevator down to the workshop.

“So, fellas. What brings you here? You’re free, right?” Tony asked as he turned to me.  
“I am. But we need to talk.” I said. Tony probably noticed this was serious as his easy smile slipped off his face.  
“Alright. What’s this about?”  
“Bucky’s in trouble. And we’re all in danger.” Steve said, sounding very ominous.  
“Explain that to me.”  
“I worked for Hydra, before,” I gestured around to the workshop, “this. And they think I stole money from ‘em. Half a million. But I didn’t, I swear. But now they’re hunting for me and believe me, they won’t just ask me nicely to return it. They’re a dangerous organisation and they probably know I work for you so now you’re a target too, as is Steve. I’m really sorry.” I hung my head. This was the moment he was gonna get angry, call me a burden, wish he’d never met me and fire me on the spot.  
Except none of that ever happened.  
“Bucky told me the money was stolen from an offshore account via a wire transfer.” Steve informed Tony, who swivelled around in his desk chair to turn on his computer and start typing furiously.  
“Do you know where?”  
“Siberia. Probably.” I answered.  
“Any chance you know where the money was transferred to?”  
“Somewhere in New York. I think.”  
“Alright. That oughta get us somewhere.” Tony muttered, his fingers slowing down on the keyboard.  
“You got a timeframe?” Tony asked, turning to look at me.  
“Shit, I-I don’t. She didn’t tell me. But I was fired a month and ehh, 6 days back.” I stuttered. I totally forgot to even ask Natasha about it.  
“Okay. It’ll work. It’ll just take a little longer to find. I’ll let you know when I do. In the meantime, are you gonna be safe? Where are you staying?” Tony asked, once again turning around to face me and Steve.  
“He’s staying with me. The hotel room is under my name and we’re not related to each other in any way, so I think we’re safe.” Steve answered.  
Tony asked Steve in which hotel they stayed, and, just for safety measures, broke into their security camera’s to keep an eye on them. Steve and I thanked him and we went home, where our food was waiting for us, but now colder..  
“I’m so sorry for-“  
“Buck. It isn’t your fault.” Steve interrupted, “We’re gonna be fine. You’re gonna be fine. And until this is all over, you’re staying with me, and Tony’s keeping an eye out. We’re safe now.”  
I nodded in response, hoping very much that Steve was right.


	14. Leaving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because why not make the story go this way?

“You still haven’t heard from him? It’s been two days, Steve.” I groaned, wiping a hand over my very tired face. Tony still hadn’t called back with any updates on him tracking the money.  
In the meantime, I’d been sleeping at Steve’s. Well, not so much sleeping as just staying. That’s why I was tired as hell right now. I had barely even closed my eyes these last two nights. It just wasn’t happening, because whenever I did close my eyes, I’d wake up to short breaths and a barely staved of scream at whatever my mind was cooking up for me.  
“I know. I’ll call him tonight, alright? We just have to wait. We can’t do more right now.” Steve sighed, always the voice of reason.  
“I know..” I muttered. My cold hands clamped around a cup of coffee as if my life depended on it.  
It sure felt like it.  
“You didn’t sleep tonight, did ya?” Steve asked as he sat down, his knee touching mine.  
I dragged my eyes up to meet his and deadpanned, “What gave it away?”  
“Y’know, a friend once told me that talking about it helps.”  
“I hate it when you use my words against me.” I grumbled.  
Steve just kept looking at me with his stupid puppy dog eyes until I gave in, “Fine.” I sighed and leaned back into the soft couch cushions, “It’s Hydra. I’ve heard what they do, Steve, and it’s not good. The people I worked with, we all knew stories of how someone just up and vanished or ended up dead.. We knew it was Hydra.”  
“What are you dreaming, Buck?” Steve softly asked, his hands patting my knee in what should probably be comforting.  
“They’ve got Tony and Natasha.. stringed up in a room and-, and they look hurt. Tired. And they have me watching them. And the room’s just cold and wet, dark and looming. Pierce is there too, smiling his trademark smile as he circles around them and telling me he’s got something even better.” My throat constricts and I have to look away to keep going, “He shows that he’s got you. Bleeding, tears streaming down your face as you keep repeating that it’s my fault. It always is.”  
Steve stays silent for a second, he retracts his hand from my knee and I can tell he’s trying to think of something to say, but before he can I shoot up and back away from the couch.  
“I need to go. I-I need to get some air.” I say before grabbing my coat and fleeing from the apartment.  
I quickly make my way out of the hotel and close the door of the cab just in time to hear my name being called out. I instruct the cabbie to just take me to Grand Central Terminal. It was a place my mother sometimes took me when I was small. She used to take me there to watch people and narrate their lives. We could stay there for hours and it were some of my happiest memories.  
When she passed I didn’t really feel like going there anymore, only if strictly necessary, which was never. But now, it was a safe space. There were lots of people and I knew the building like the back of my hand from roaming the place as a child.

I paid the cabdriver and made my way inside of the building. The light never really changed these last 20-something years and it seemed as if the people hadn’t either. There were so many of them, all moving in another direction and still it seemed as if they were moving as a group. A part of something bigger than themselves. It was mesmerizing to watch.  
~

“Steve, what’s up?” Tony asked over the phone.  
“I upset Bucky and now he’s gone and I need to find him because Hydra can too. Please, Tony, can you track his phone?”  
“Oh, damn, sure. Hold on a sec.” Tony said before leaving the phone and pulling up a computer screen to start tracing the phone.  
Steve waited while tapping his foot impatiently.  
“Grand Central Terminal.” Tony instructed Steve, “Call me when you found him.”  
~

I sat down at the side of the stairs, making myself small as to not disturb the ever-moving herd of people. I don’t know how long it was that I spent there, sitting, observing. It was peaceful though.  
I observed people with angry, stressed faces, tired ones, happy ones, distracted or disoriented ones. It was a skill I learned over the years, reading faces. My mother was good at it too. Probably because she’d worked with people all her life, and I did too. In the army I knew who would be stern, or a possible threat. At the bakery, I knew who would say hi and who would just snarl or be in a hurry. With Hydra, I knew which customers would pay best and which would have bad intentions (like I said before, I was mostly right. Not always..).  
I watched hundreds of faces come and go until my eye caught something.  
Black clothes. Closed of faces. Eyes searching the crowd for something.  
Someone.

For me.

Shit.  
~

“Keep the change.” Steve said before sprinting into the building.  
Why was it so packed with people, damnit?  
Steve’s blue eyes scoured the building for places he would sit down. And then he saw them. He hadn’t seen people from Hydra before, but he was sure this was them. Their black clothing was supposed to be inconspicuous. Their movements were controlled. They were trained. They had a purpose.  
Steve figured Bucky would sit somewhere he wouldn’t bother anyone, but still have a good view. Stairs it was.  
~

The only thought I had was that I needed to leave. As the Hydra goons were sweeping the floors, making their way to the stairs, I saw a group of tourists coming up to me. I quickly stood up and blended into the crowd. When the group took a turn right, I took a turn left and took a quick peek down to see where the men were. Sadly, one of ‘em looked me dead in the eye, yelled something into his earpiece and was now sprinting up the stairs as I bolted in the other direction.  
Fuck!


	15. Hide in plain sight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger.. Though I don't think this chapter will clear anything up. Honestly I have no idea where this story's going, I just hope I haven't gone too off track for you guys to keep up..  
> Also if anyone's got it, I would love feedback!  
> Have a good day

Steve got to the stairs and started looking for the familiar dark blue jacket Bucky always wore, but just as he saw a dark blue jacket sprinting up the stairs, so did a Hydra goon. Steve couldn’t really take him out given this was kinda public. Hydra didn’t share that same concern as they pulled their weapons and started to chase Bucky, who fled to the left. When Hydra came upstairs, quickly followed by Steve, a big herd of teenagers greeted them. It seemed as if a whole university had dumped its students here. Bucky would definitely use that to his advantage and hide.  
~

When I turned to the left I immediately started walking at the same pace everyone else was keeping. I noticed all the people around me were roughly around my age. Probably from some nearby university.  
Good.  
I pulled off my jacket and dumped it in a trashcan. Shame, I actually really liked that jacket.  
Now I had to get my heartbeat down and just think clearly.  
First rule of going on the run is: Don’t run. Walk. Alright. That, I got.  
Phone. Lose it. Okay, phone in the trash too.  
I lost my jacket, phone, I’m not running and it’s probably a good idea to tie up my hair, good thing I always have hair ties with me. Thank God I never got that haircut.  
What the hell do I do next?  
~

Steve decided it was best to just start scanning faces and bodies in the crowd of teenagers, given shouting Bucky’s name wouldn’t be the best idea with Hydra on their tails.  
No. No. Not him. Too short. Different colour. Ponytail? Nah- wait. Ponytail.  
Steve grabbed the arm connected to the man wearing a dark red shirt and dark brown hair tied back into a ponytail. The man looked startled, his eyes widening as panic probably surged through him and he looked ready to scream. Steve’s first instinct was to cover his mouth with his hand, which was a good instinct, because not a second after Bucky would’ve screamed, he recognised Steve and relieve washed over his features.  
“Jesus. Hydra-.”  
“I know. We need to get you out of here.” Steve hissed.  
~

I noticed most of the students were standing in groups, but as in every school, there were some who were standing alone, which was great. Not particularly for them, but it meant I wouldn’t really catch anyone’s eye. I hoped.  
I turned my back to where I came from and hoped to just disappear into the background. No such luck though, because not 5 minutes later someone grabbed my arm and I was about ready to scream to let everybody know that I was fucked. The man apparently read my mind and quickly slapped a hand to my mouth, keeping any sound from leaving my mouth.  
In those few seconds adrenaline seemed to pump through my veins faster than it did before, causing me to not recognise the man in front of me for a while.  
Until I did.

Steve!  
“Jesus. Hydra-“ I hissed, wanting to let Steve know that I needed to get the hell out of here, before Hydra would drag me back to one of their super villain layers.  
“I know. We need to get you of here.” Steve said, his voice calm. He positioned himself so that his broad shoulders hid my body from view as well as he could. He craned his neck to the side to see where the Hydra agents were and if they had spotted them already.  
“Don’t look, but they’re getting closer and they are gonna recognise you.” Steve informed me.  
“Kiss me.” I instructed Steve, whose eyes widened.  
“What?”  
“Public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable.” I said, hoping Steve would get the gist.  
“Yes, they do.” He just responded dumbly. Was he an idiot?  
I noticed a man in black gradually coming closer and decided it was all or nothing, so I grabbed Steve’s face and pressed my lips against his. I noticed his hand made his way to my hip on reflex, which would’ve been adorable in any other situation. Well, maybe it was still a little adorable.  
This was not how I imagined my first kiss with Steve going.

I let Steve go and saw the Hydra agents had all passed us, still looking for me. Thank god.  
“You still uncomfortable?” I joked, already walking back towards the stairs to get the hell out of here.  
“That’s not exactly the word I would use.” Steve responded.  
~

“They’ve seen you, Steve, they’re gonna find us here.” I growled.  
“Don’t you dare flee again, Buck.” Steve growled back, then sighed, “I need to call someone.”  
Steve picked up the phone and told the person he had called, “I found him. He’s safe, but it was a close call. Any chance you got a safe house, ‘cause mine’s compromised.”  
The other man, whom I now recognised as Tony, responded with, “Yeah, I got one in Brooklyn, it’s not under my name and it’s close to public transportation. I’ll send Happy to pick you up. Just hang tight.”

Steve hung up the phone and looked at me, “Guess we’re going to Brooklyn.”  
~

“Tell Tony thanks too. Bye Happy.” Steve greeted the driver before ushering me inside the apartment. It was actually quite small, for something that Tony had bought. It was homey and it felt safe.  
Just what we needed.

“You need to take a shower.” Steve said from the bedroom down the hall.  
“I smell that bad, huh?” I scoffed, making my way over to the bathroom and turning on the water.  
Half an hour later both of us had showered. Steve had opened the door to the bathroom to let out all of the steam and was currently looking very good in a white tank top while I was on the bed, shifting my gaze from him to the ground. In the meantime, Steve looked at me in the mirror and turned around, now standing in the door opening of the bathroom.  
“You okay?”  
I nodded and picked up the towel lying next to me to continue drying my hair, “Yeah.”  
Apparently that didn’t fool him, as he came over to the bed and sat opposite of me, “What’s going on?”  
I stared into his blue eyes for a second. His eyebrows were pulled together in an expression holding sympathy.  
“I-“ I didn’t even know what to say. That I was dangerous to be near? That he should clear the fuck out, walk the hell away because he barely knew me? That this was all ridiculous?  
Instead I opted for, “I owe you.” Because I did. Where would I be if Steve hadn’t turned up when he had that first night? I’d be assaulted at least, (and that was wishful thinking), I’d be homeless, very angry and also in the hands of Hydra.  
Steve shook his head slightly, “It’s okay.” he responded.  
“It’s really not. You keep saving me and all that got you is that now you’re in danger too. I bet Hydra is already tearing your apartment to shreds looking for us. For me. And Tony, god, even he is in danger. All because of me, and I don’t know if I’m worth all this, Steve.”  
“Everything that’s happened, it wasn’t you. Hydra is to blame here.”  
I nodded slowly, staring blankly ahead.  
“And you are worth it to me, Buck.”


	16. Shield me

“What is it, Tony?” Steve groggily asked, holding the phone to his ear. His voice an octave lower, because the man just woke up and wooh, if that didn’t do things to me. Not the point though. Tony was calling for a reason. Probably.  
“I know it’s early but get your asses out of bed, I got an update.” That got Steve out of the comforts of his warm and cosy bed and I decided that I really wanted to hear this too. Being hunted in general wasn’t a walk in the park, but by Hydra was even less of a party. I was really hoping Tony would just tell me they turned themselves in and sent me their sincerest of apologies. No such luck though.  
“The trace finally completed, and the account it was transferred to is under the name of a certain Johann Schmidt. I ran a background check and it turns out he’s been involved with Hydra before. He’s speculated to be one of their higher ups and rumour is Schmidt and Pierce had different visions for the future of Hydra, causing a fall out or something. Drama-drama.”  
“Where’s the money now?” I asked.  
“It’s still in an account somewhere in New York. I can hack into it, but it’s gonna take some time, so you’re gonna have to stay put.” Tony said. He was probably already starting his hacking, since the background noise consisted solely of furious typing.  
“Are you sure, Tony? You’re probably gonna be in more danger than you are now..” I asked. I do not want to be held accountable for anything that could happen. Probably would happen.  
“Yeah yeah. This isn’t my first rodeo, sweetheart.”  
I scoffed. I hated being called sweetheart, especially by Tony. Also, what does that even mean ‘this isn’t my first rodeo’?  
I quirked an eyebrow in Steve’s direction, but he just shrugged and told Tony, “Let us know when something changes. And don’t go at it alone. Hydra isn’t playing. They are still convinced Bucky did this and they’re not concerned about the well-being of others.”  
“I can see the worry-lines on your face, Rogers. Stop it. I’ll be good, I swear.” Tony joked, “And about Pierce still hunting you, we need to do something about that.” Tony said.  
He was right. We couldn’t stay here for ever and I didn’t want to either. Not that spending time with Steve wasn’t great. It was just the idea of being locked up while being hunted by fucking Hydra.  
Jesus, when did my life become such a mess?

“We’ll come up with something, but I’ve got another call. Call you back later. And thanks, Tony.” Steve said before picking up the other call. A blocked number.  
“Good morning, Captain Rogers.” A low, calm voice spoke through the phone.  
Steve rolled his eyes, which made me snort in return. I hadn’t seen Steve roll his eyes before, and I must say, pretty good look on him. “Hello, director Fury. As I have told you before, please, it’s Steve. I’m a civilian now.”  
I raised my eyebrows and mouthed to Steve what it was about, but he just shrugged and asked the man, Fury, what he was calling for. I hope it wasn’t to rope Steve back into the army. We really didn’t need that right now.  
“I called because you seem to be in some trouble, and I just wanted to meet you, to talk about things. How’s a late breakfast for you?”  
Late? It was like 9 A.M. Which does not qualify as late. Not in my book at least.  
Steve looked at me, asking for permission, before asking Fury when and where, and if it was safe.  
“Of course, Captain. I’ll see you there. Bring Barnes.”  
The line went dead and Steve just frowned at his phone.  
“Okay, how does he know my name?” I asked, because I sure as hell hadn’t met the guy yet and I’m pretty sure Steve hadn’t told him, which makes this straight up creepy.  
“They know our location too. He asked us to come to Ricky’s. That’s right down the street.”  
I shook my head in disbelief. What the hell was happening?  
“Come on, get dressed. We’re going.” Steve said while digging in his suitcase, still looking all patriotic.  
“Are you sure? Is it safe?” I asked.  
“Yeah.” Steve responded shortly, before pulling off the shirt he slept in to reveal something that looked very close to god-like.  
My eyes shortly wandered over the exposed skin. Honestly, it wasn’t my fault, it just happened. I briefly caught Steve’s eyes following mine before snapping my attention back to his face, I cleared my throat. “And you trust him?”  
“He hasn’t given me a reason to distrust him in situations like these. Yet.”  
As if that made me feel any more safe.  
~

We walked into the restaurant, Steve’s eyes scanning the crowd for Fury, and my eyes just scanning the crowd, because I had no idea how Fury looked.  
Steve pulled me into a seat, where I stared right into the face of a slightly amused looking, bald man. With an eyepatch..  
“Good morning gentlemen. How have you been?” He asked. His voice the same as the one on the phone. Guess this was Fury then. The name suited him.  
“Let’s skip the formalities and talk business. Why have you been keeping tabs on us and what do you want?” Steve asked.  
Steve being all business-like was new to me, and I smirked to myself at the realisation that this too, was a good look on him. Made him even more of a captain, as Fury had called him over the phone.  
“Alright, alright. Well, we’ve been keeping tabs because we heard James here,” He shifted his gaze to me, “has gotten himself into some trouble. In which now Mr. Stark and you are involved.” He said, shifting his gaze back to Steve.  
“Now, I work for an organization called SHIELD. And our interests in Hydra may just be able to help you out of your troubles with them.”  
“SHIELD? Is that a real name or like, short for something?” I asked.  
“It’s short for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.” Fury answered.  
“Yeah, you should stick with SHIELD.”  
The man smiled a little bit, and the fact that the man felt emotions, or at least showed a few, comforted me a little.  
“So, director, how are you planning on getting us out of trouble. What intel do you have on us? On them?” Steve asked.  
“How we do it is none of your concern, nor is our intel.”  
I raised my eyebrow. Apparently director Fury wasn’t one to share.  
“Well, you know about Hydra, so you know what kind of threat they pose to us. To me. Steve and Tony will only be collateral damage must it come to it. So I’d say that your intel and your ways are, in fact, of concern to us, given it’s our lives hanging in the balance.”  
Steve stared at me for a second, probably not expecting me to add anything to this weird-ass conversation. Then Steve blinked a few times and looked back at Fury, with a small smile playing on his lips.  
Fury, who I still wasn’t sure if he was human or not, was looking unfazed and unimpressed, but responded with, “Alright. Then I would like for you two to be escorted back to your apartment, pack your bags and come with us to a safe-house under our protection. Once we’re there I’ll explain a few things.”


	17. That's classified

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I sure hope you don't find this chapter (/ whole story) a terrible read. I feel like it's finally going somewhere with new folks in the mix.  
> As always, leave comments and likes and have a good day!

“No, Tony. He said it wasn’t necessary.” Steve rolled his eyes again, for the third time in this conversation.  
“But I want to be under protection with you guys! We could have an awesome sleepover.”  
You could practically hear Tony pouting.  
“Sorry, Tony. But Fury has someone watching you and I don’t think he wants you here.” I said into the phone.  
“Damn right I don’t.” Fury grumbled as he walked into the room, “Remember what happened last time we let you in on a mission?”  
Tony sighed, “Fine! You’re always ruining all the fun, Nick. Now, toodles boys. Keep me updated, I’ve got a robot that needs to learn the abc’s.” And with that, he hung up the phone.

I turned to Fury-, Nick, eh. Whatever, “What happened last time?”  
“That’s classified.” He just answered shortly.  
~

“So,” Steve started when we all sat down, “care to explain?”  
“Hydra has been on our radar for years now. They are involved in about everything illegal in this world, and SHIELD has been trying to take them out ever since we learned about them. Now, Hydra is smart, they’re well-trained and they’re very dangerous. Every time we got close, in any way, we were taken out. It’s been over a year since we’ve had a real lead, which is where you come in. As soon as Johann Schmidt returned to the US we were informed, but we didn’t know why he’d returned. Given he’s the one that stole money and made it look like it was you, we now know what he’s planning. He wants to take back Hydra by reaping war in the organization itself. He’s pitting everyone who works for them against each other and you are one of the people Schmidt thought could help him reach his goal.” Fury said to me.  
“So you’re saying that I was literally at the wrong place, wrong time? And now I’m involved in some kind of war between criminals and the government. For Christ sake!”  
“What are you gonna do about it, and how is Bucky getting out of this situation unharmed?” Steve asked.  
“I can’t tell you the extent of our mission because it’s classified. What I can tell you is that within a week, you’ll be going home.”  
~

The safe house was kinda small for a bunch of agents and us, but I guess that’s kinda the idea of a safe house. It’s supposed to not attract any unwanted attention, and that’ll be a lot harder in a mansion. Though probably more comfortable too.  
“You can take the bed. I’ll set up camp in the living room.”  
“There are already 3 guys sleeping out there. This bed is enormous and we’ll both fit. So undress and get in the bed.” I ordered, smirking maybe a little bit cheeky because I definitely knew what I had just said.  
Steve’s cheeks quickly turned pink and he started undressing down to his boxers and t-shirt before climbing into the bed next to me, but keeping his distance.  
I wanted to snicker at it. He was truly adorable when he was all gentleman-like.  
“Night, Steve.”  
“Good night, Buck.”  
~

“I don-“  
“Please-  
“No, no…”  
“Stop-“

I woke up, breathing heavily, sweat soaked and eyes wide in terror. The room was dark and I jumped up out of the bed, putting my back to a wall and trying to see where Hydra was hiding. Because I knew they were.  
I heard movements. The sheets rustling. A clicking noise.  
Then there was light.  
And Steve.

“Buck?”  
I barely even heard his words, and I didn’t really care either, I just walked over to where he was standing now and started checking him out. No blood, bruises, no bones sticking out, no cuts, no bullet holes. He seemed fine.  
I only noticed his arm moving when his palm softly touched my shoulder, making my attention snap back to his face.  
“Buck. I’m okay. I’m fine, I promise.”

After looking him over once more I felt the tension draining from my body, leaving me tired, but not nearly tired enough to fall back asleep.  
“Come on, sit with me.” Steve said.  
“Wanna talk about it?”  
I just stared blankly ahead and shook my head, “It was just Hydra. I’m fine.”  
“You don’t have to say you’re fine. You don’t have to be fine right now. You’re under a lot of stress and this isn’t a situation most people deal with like you do. It’s okay to not be okay.” Steve whispered.  
I moved my eyes to his face and studied his blue eyes, noticing a little green in them. Someone might not see them as perfect. I did.  
“How can I be okay?” My voice croaked.  
“We will be. Just another week, 7 days, and this’ll be over. We’ll be back to our normal lives. We can forget everything that has happened.” Steve told me, scooting a little closer to me so our arms and legs were touching.  
“What if I don’t wanna forget..?” I asked, thinking back to our kiss. But not just that. I felt like we’d gotten to know each other a lot better these last few days. The sleepless nights spent talking to each other. The waking up to someone who understood you not wanting to talk about what haunted you at night. The company of someone. The support.  
“That’s okay.” Steve hummed, “Just sleep. We’ll talk later.”  
I hummed. Maybe that was a good idea.  
When I buried myself back under the covers I noticed Steve hadn’t moved back that much. His warmth still a comforting presence next to me.  
The need for comfort was greater than perhaps smart thinking was, so I carefully felt around the bed until I found Steve’s hand and linked our fingers together. Steve just squeezed my fingers in return and sighed.  
“Sleep tight, Buck.”


	18. What a knock-out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Half a year. Oh lord. I am so sorry for making you all wait for this, but I just wasn't feeling it. I just had no inspiration.  
> But! I guess the universe has finally decided my writing skills, or lack there of, are ready to be made public again.  
> Enjoy the chapter and have a good day, folks!

5 days. 5 days it had already been and still, nothing changed. Steve and I were still holed up in this stupid apartment, which seemed to become smaller every damn second. We weren’t even allowed outside anymore, because apparently we weren’t inconspicuous enough.   
And the SHIELD agents. Idiots!   
One was constantly cleaning his boots or straightening his uniform. Then we had Dumb and Dumber. Yes, I’d dubbed them that, because they were idiots. One of ‘em was either playing Galaga on his phone or playing cards with Dumber.   
They weren’t really the dream team you hoped for when it came to protecting you.  
And then there was Steve.   
He was losing his mind, I could tell. He was constantly grinding his teeth when he looked at the soldiers, probably thinking the same thing I was. We would be a lot better off without them than with them. Give us a couple’a guns and we’d be fine. Fury did not agree.  
Our nights of sleep were becoming shorter every day. Worrying was the only way to pass the time, because Fury hadn’t returned any calls, and the soldiers wouldn’t tell us anything. Our fate seemed uncertain. And most importantly, boring.  
Phone calls with Tony weren’t allowed anymore. Fury said it made the three of us even more annoying when we were in contact.   
Rude.

“I am sneaking out.” I whispered.  
“You’re what?” Steve looked up from his book. His third one these past 5 days. How one could read that much, was beyond me.  
“You heard me. I’m packing my shit and taking my chances. I’m either gonna bore myself to death or go out and hug a tree before I die.”   
“You’re not dying, Buck.”  
I shrugged.  
“Hey!” Steve grabbed my shoulder, “I am not letting them get to you. I know this seems endless, but we will be okay.”  
“Steve, I need fresh air. And this needs to stop.”  
~

“We wanna get out. We need fresh air because this is driving us crazy.” I told the soldiers.  
Dumb responded with, “We are not allowed to leave the safehouse. It’s safe in here.”  
I rolled my eyes, “It’s boring in here.”  
“Come on, soldier. Do you really wanna bother director Fury with this?”

Skip forward a few minutes and the three soldiers were knocked out. Each tied to a chair.   
“Still got it.” I smirked.  
“Yes, you do.” Steve smiled.

Steve and I decided that, to leave this damn house, we needed to either convince the soldiers, or flee. Now, Dumb, Dumber and the clean one weren’t willing to let us go, so plan B it was.   
Steve knocked the clean guy out with one punch, and damn was that man strong. And Dumb and Dumber were left to me. Yes, maybe I asked Steve to leave them to me, because I really wanted to hit them. I’d been suppressing the urge since an hour after we arrived.  
We rummaged through the shit they brought with them found a couple of guns, some tactical gear, a smoke bomb, which Steve wouldn’t allow me to bring, so I sneaked it with me, and a pair of handcuffs. One might not think they’d be very useful in the situation we’d probably get ourselves into, but believe me, if I couldn’t cuff a bad guy, I’ll cuff a good one.  
~

“We gotta buy a phone.” Steve said, looking at me from under a cap.  
“You know, running from a criminal organization is fun and all, but if it means hiding a face like yours, I kinda wanna quit.” I joked.  
Steve rolled his eyes, grabbed my arm and pulled me into a store.

“It’s untraceable, cheap, and most importantly, functional.” Steve explained, showing me a phone that could survive a fall from a train.  
“Tony would be ashamed! Hell, even I’m a little ashamed. Why can’t we buy a normal smartphone?”  
“Shut up.” Steve shoved my shoulder, “It works, so shut it, and let me call Tony.”  
“Put it on speaker!” I hissed to Steve when the phone rang.  
“Who’s this and what can I do you for?” Tony answered.  
I snorted, “Is that a pick-up line? And if so, does it work?”  
“Hiya Barnes. Yes it does. And I thought Fury wanted us not to speak to each other. Something about making him annoyed. So, what’s up with that?”  
“We knocked the soldiers out, tied them to chairs, stole from SHIELD and ran.” I said proudly.  
Steve pinched the bridge of his nose. Tony was never gonna let Steve live that down.  
“You know, I like you more for that. You’re a good influence on Captain courageous.”  
“You know that I am listening too, Tony?” Steve grumbled.  
“Well hello, dear. Of course I do.” Tony answered, “Now, are you calling me because you miss me, or what?”  
“We need a location on Johann Schmidt, and intel on whatever SHIELD is currently doing for us.” Steve answered curtly.  
“But only because you asked so nicely, Cap.” Tony deadpanned, before we could hear some furious typing once again.  
“He’s in New York. Somewhere on an industrial site. I’ll send you the address.”  
“Thanks, Tony. We’ll-“   
“Wait.” Tony cut Steve off, “What the hell are you planning on doing? He could be making something evil, and then you two idiots come walking in with a gun, maybe two. Then what?”  
He actually had a point there. Steve and I might not be helpless, but we weren’t superheroes either. Maybe some back-up would be smart.  
“I can hear Bucky thinking about back-up and Steve thinking about blowing out their front door or something. I’m not a fan, but you guys need to call Fury.”  
“Uhg.” Steve almost growled, “Fine.” Before ending the call without saying goodbye.  
“Where did your manners go, hmm?” I chuckled, “Now hand me the phone. You might be a captain, but hookers are great at negotiating.”


End file.
